In the outer islands of Milne Bay Province, life is changing with the tides. Wells that once provided fresh water are turning brackish. Gardens that fed families for generations are struggling under longer dry seasons and unpredictable rain. For many households, planting has become a constant act of adaptation, adjusting to delayed rains, poor soil moisture and unpredictable harvests.
From 22 October to 1 November 2025, the Pacific Community (SPC) joined national and provincial partners on a field mission across low-lying communities in southern Papua New Guinea. Over ten days, the team met with farmers, fishers, and local leaders to map out the growing impacts of climate change on food, water, and livelihoods, and to identify what support is most urgently needed.
The work was carried out through SPC’s Land Resources Division with coordination from the Climate Change Flagship and innovation support from the Funding with Intent (FiT) Fund, SPC’s internal research and development mechanism backed by the Government of New Zealand. Since 2020, FiT has enabled more than 60 projects across the Pacific to test and scale practical solutions to complex challenges.
On Tubetube Island, farmers showed the team how they are mixing traditional planting systems with new methods to keep soil moist and preserve staple crops such as yams, taro and cassava. In Bwanabwana, community members spoke of fishing grounds moving further offshore and of wells running dry during prolonged droughts.
Dr Sergie Bang, Secretary of the PNG Department of Agriculture and Livestock, said that the recurrence of severe droughts again in 2015-2016 affected much of the rural population , approximately 900,000 people were without food, and were supported through food aid.
He added that “80%of PNG’s population depends on subsistence agriculture and during a prolonged drought, food production fails”.
“What happens in the soil affects the sea, and what happens in the sea affects the plate. Working with SPC helps us connect those dots so our policies are based on what people are actually experiencing.”
Using SPC’s food systems wheel and participatory mapping tools developed under FiT, the team gathered data on rainfall shifts, crop losses, and water availability.
Early results show that more than 80 per cent of households surveyed have noticed changes in rainfall timing over the past decade, with prolonged dry periods emerging as the main threat to local food supply.
Dr Igo Gari, Milne Bay Provincial Administrator, said the partnership shows the value of combining local insight with scientific evidence. Milne Bay is a maritime province with several low-lying islands facing the brunt of climate change.
“Our communities understand change better than anyone. When external partners listen and work with us, we get solutions that fit our land, our people, and our way of life.”
Water assessments carried out with the PNG Mineral Resources Authority confirmed growing salinity in village wells and the need for new catchment and storage systems. This evidence will guide future provincial planning on food security and water access.
Ms Lydia Nenai, Climate Change Project Development at SPC’s LRD, explained that while science provides tools and data, the communities add the human face and the story behind the numbers and data collected. It’s that connection between evidence and experience that turns data into direction, helping us design policies that work in practice, not just on paper. When we bring both together, that’s when real resilience begins.
The Milne Bay mission reflects SPC’s broader work in climate science and services linking data collected in the field with regional efforts to strengthen food systems, water security and adaptation planning. Through this work, SPC is helping ensure that Pacific knowledge and evidence shape the policies that determine the region’s future.
As the Pacific heads to the road to Belém for COP 30, the lessons from Milne Bay remind the world that resilience is built from the ground up: in island gardens, fishing canoes, and shared knowledge passed between generations where climate science meets the lived wisdom of the Pacific.
