From Goroka to the Highlands: Why More Papua New Guineans Should Learn Juncao Technology

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By Bernard Yegiora 

The recent decision by the Chinese Embassy in PNG to feature my video submission, Juncao in Practice: China–Papua New Guinea Cooperation in Eastern Highlands Province, on its Facebook and X platforms is more than just recognition of a competition entry. It also highlights an important development story that deserves greater national attention.

The video focuses on the Juncao technology project in Eastern Highlands Province and demonstrates how practical cooperation between China and PNG can translate into real outcomes at the community level. The project shows that development cooperation is not only about policy discussions or diplomatic meetings in Port Moresby. It is also about the transfer of practical knowledge and technology that ordinary Papua New Guineans can use to improve livelihoods.

Below are screenshots from the Chinese Embassy’s official social media platforms featuring the video:

Chinese Embassy in PNG Facebook post featuring Juncao in Practice.
View Facebook Post

The Juncao project in Goroka is one of the clearest examples of grassroots China–PNG cooperation currently taking place in PNG. Originally developed in China, Juncao technology uses grass-based agricultural systems to support mushroom cultivation, livestock feeding, and integrated farming. What makes the model attractive for PNG is that it is practical, adaptable, and suitable for rural conditions.

In Eastern Highlands Province, the project already demonstrates how mushroom production can support small-scale income generation and local food production. The technology is not overly complex, and it does not require large-scale industrial infrastructure to begin producing results. This is particularly important for PNG, where many rural communities are looking for low-cost and sustainable economic opportunities.

The key message I want to share through this article is simple: people from other Highlands provinces should travel to Goroka and learn the technology directly from the trainers already working there.

At present, Eastern Highlands Province has an advantage because the Chinese trainers and the Eastern Highlands Provincial Government’s Division of Natural Resources are already involved in supporting the initiative. Rather than waiting for similar projects to arrive elsewhere, interested individuals, youth groups, churches, cooperatives, and farmers from Simbu, Jiwaka, Western Highlands, Southern Highlands, Enga, Hela, and even parts of Morobe should take the initiative to visit Goroka, receive training, and bring the knowledge back to their communities.

PNG often talks about agriculture as the backbone of the economy. However, many discussions remain at the policy level. Projects like Juncao show that practical agricultural technology transfer can actually occur on the ground when there is cooperation, training, and local participation.

China, through this project, has effectively given PNG more than just equipment or funding. It has provided a development model and a form of agricultural knowledge that can be adapted locally. Whether PNG fully benefits from this opportunity now depends largely on our own willingness to learn, organize, and expand these practices beyond Eastern Highlands Province.

There is also a broader lesson here about development itself. In many cases, PNG waits for large government projects or external investors to solve local economic problems. Yet small-scale technologies, when transferred effectively and supported through local training, can sometimes create more immediate and sustainable impacts for ordinary communities.

The mushroom sheds featured in the video may appear simple, but they represent something larger: skills transfer, community empowerment, rural enterprise development, and practical international cooperation.

If properly expanded, mushroom production and integrated Juncao farming systems could contribute to:

  • household income generation,
  • food security,
  • youth engagement in agriculture,
  • small business development,
  • and rural economic diversification.

For Highlands communities with suitable climate conditions, the opportunity is already there.

The next step should not simply be admiration of the project online. The next step should be participation.

Papua New Guineans from across the Highlands region should seriously consider travelling to Goroka, learning the technology from the Chinese trainers and provincial officers involved, and exploring how mushroom farming and integrated Juncao systems can be introduced into their own districts and communities.

Development cooperation becomes meaningful when knowledge is shared, adapted, and expanded locally. That is the real lesson from the Juncao project in Eastern Highlands Province.

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