source: BenArox Piggery & Sustainability Initatives LinkedIn Page posted December 2025
Official Launch of the Project: “Empowering Women and Youth through Climate-Smart Agriculture and Feedstock Value Chains in Unggai-Bena, EHP.”
Today marks a significant milestone for our team and our community as we officially launched and dedicated our project, “Empowering Women and Youth through Climate-Smart Agriculture and Feedstock Value Chains in Unggai-Bena, EHP.”
We once again express our heartfelt gratitude to the Advancing PNG: Women Leaders Network Inc. (APNGWLN) for selecting us under their Rural PNG Value-Adding Small Grants Program for 2025. Their support is not only timely but transformative. It gives life to our business value proposition, to grow side by side with our feed-supply-based network, and strengthens our conviction that community-driven development can create lasting change.
As part of the launch, we distributed agricultural inputs, including spades, bush knives, maize seeds, and soybean seeds, to 61 carefully selected beneficiaries across six communities in the Lower Bena area. These communities include Sogomi, Makia, Kenemaro, Mohuveto No. 2, and Sagifa.
The excitement and unity shared among all who attended, women, youth, men, elders, and children, was truly inspiring. Their presence reminded us that this initiative is not only about agricultural inputs but about planting hope, strengthening relationships, and building a shared future.
We recognise that our growth is impossible without the strength and involvement of our community. For this reason, inclusion and participation are not just principles we talk about; they are embedded in every step we take and every resource we acquire.
Over the next six months, we will deliver a series of core activities designed to achieve the project’s outcomes. A key component will involve working closely with agricultural suppliers such as Farmset Ltd, Chemica, Brian Bell Grow Co, and other stakeholders.
Our early conversations with these organisations have been encouraging, and many have expressed their willingness to support us through technical advice, training opportunities, and specialised agricultural guidance.
All 61 farmers have now been registered, and we will closely monitor their crop cultivation, harvests, and eventual supply back to us. Already, many others in the community have shown strong interest in joining the initiative.
We are now exploring the best possible ways to accommodate this growing desire so that the benefits ripple outward, especially to our women, youth, and church groups in the Lower Bena area of the Unggai-Bena District.
About BenArox Piggery
BenArox Piggery was established in 2015 as an informal native pig rearing activity, the business has since evolved into a formal partnership and registered as a formal business, and now operates as a small-scale commercial pig farming enterprise in the rural Unggai-Bena District of Eastern Highlands Province, approximately 14 kilometers from Goroka Town.
Operating in a rural area with limited infrastructure, BenArox Piggery plays a critical role in local economic development, especially for women and youth.
The business sources feed crops such as cassava and sweet potato from nearby communities through the BenArox Farmers’ Cooperative Society Ltd, a legally recognized cooperative established with support from the Department of Commerce and Industry.
This arrangement not only provides the piggery with essential inputs but also generates income and employment opportunities for these women and youth farmers.
BenArox has progressively invested in expanding and modernizing its operations, including the construction of an improved pig housing, the introduction of high-quality generic pig breeds (Duroc, Large White, and Landrace), and the development of a sustainable, locally sourced feed production system.
Our long-term vision is to become a climate-resilient, inclusive agribusiness that champions rural empowerment, particularly for women and youth, through training on cultivation of feed crops, mentoring, and the integration of renewable energy solutions such as biogas systems from pigs’ waste amongst others.
Overcoming Challenges
However, like many rural agribusinesses, we face increasing challenges from climate change.
Shifts in weather patterns have disrupted local crop production, leading to reduced availability of traditional pig feed and a growing reliance on expensive commercial alternatives from urban centers.
This has significantly raised our operational costs, particularly due to high transportation expenses, and has limited our ability to scale.
To address this, BenArox is focused on developing a local feedstock value chain.
We are actively working on producing affordable, climate-smart feed options, such as sweet potato silage, and plan to purchase essential processing tools, including electric chaff cutters, cassava grinder and pellet machines.
Additionally, the project aims to introduce and distribute climate-resilient seeds like sorghum, maize, and soybean to local women and youth for cultivation.
These crops will feed directly into the piggery’s supply chain, providing consistent income for growers while reducing our feed costs and environmental footprint.
Our goal is to build a sustainable model that links local crop producers to livestock production in a way that benefits the broader community, enhances food security, and aligns with Papua New Guinea’s national development priorities.
BenArox Piggery & Sustainability Initiatives is one of the successful 30 grantees of the Rural PNG Value-Adding Small Grants – Round 1 2025.
We are excited about their progress and the work that they are doing in their communities.
