Abstract
We use a mixed methods approach to examine high-altitude subsistence horticulturalists’ responses to food insecurity caused by El Niño related droughts and frosts in the Papua New Guinea highlands. Customarily, high-altitude dwellers experiencing food insecurity migrate to lower-altitude food secure areas. We use quantitative data, such as household dietary diversity scores, household food insecurity access scores, and mid-upper arm circumference measures, to assess nutritional differences in two locations where migration has been documented in the past. We then turn to qualitative data gathered through participant observation, interviews, and focus group discussions, to examine why migration in the twenty-first century is not a viable option for the mitigation of food insecurity for high-altitude dwellers. Certain mitigation strategies are used, but impacts of development, such as resource extraction, monetization, conflict, and the erosion of collective social structures, have reshaped peoples’ responses to climate change and food security.
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Traditionally, the Porgera valley has been home to Ipili speaking peoples, while Enga speakers have lived to their east, and Huli speakers to the south. Ipili and Enga are languages in the Enga language family. Huli is a language isolate. Most Porgerans speak all three languages.
Rice, scone (bread), sweet potato, taro, greens, fruit, meat, eggs, fish, beans, cooking oil, sugar, coffee/tea, and Maggi noodles.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the people of western Enga Province, especially in the hamlets of Kolatika, Kukulama, Longap, and Temberai. Research assistance was provided by Jenny Dilly and Tony Titiwis, with support from Donald Ben, Ben Penale, Kipan Wuambo, and Simon Tumbe. We would also like to thank the Enga provincial administration and the Kandep district administration for participating in this research. We also thank the three anonymous reviewers who gave us critical feedback that greatly improved this article.
Funding
This study was funded by the National Science Foundation, Jerry Jacka (PI), Award No. BCS-1602367.
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Consent to conduct this research was approved by the University of Colorado’s IRB office under Protocol No. 15–0510, and the National Research Institute of Papua New Guinea.
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Jacka, J., Posner, S. How the Enga Cope with Frost in the 21st Century: Food Insecurity, Migration, and Development in the Papua New Guinea Highlands. Hum Ecol 50, 273–286 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-022-00312-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-022-00312-w