We have divided the project to many parts as following:
Background
Geographical Location
Population and its Distribution: Rural vs. Urban.
Political, Economic and Social Situation.
People's Main Occupation.
Health and Education Condition.
Biodiversity and Food Availability
Weather Pattern and Seasonal Variations
Foods Grown in Papua New Guinea
Staple Foods Consumed & Other Foods Consumed
Existing Nutritional Deficiencies
Link between nutrition deficiencies and food availability/consumption
Previous Research Conducted
Biodiversity
Nutrition Status
Identification and Composition of Foods
Suggestions on Implementation of Programmes Aimed at Improving Diets.
We distributed the sections of project based on workweeks; we were usually meeting to discuss what we read.
I started reading about the background of PNG that was initially difficult. At the start, I was not active as well. l. I found several references, which provided the required background information as regards to Papua New Guinea civilization. These sources summarize ecosystems of PNG, where it is regarded as one of the most culturally varied countries in the world. I also found some details of PNG weather patterns.
I faced some problems regarding the references I found. They are nice references but their authors were not known in most cases.
I started reading more information about three sections of the project including Geographical Location, Population and its Distribution: Rural vs. Urban and Political, Economic and Social Situation. I was not satisfied with my findings in those sources as regards to those sections.. They only gave background information in respect to location, geographical patterns, population distribution and migration but gave details of Growth patterns of populations, which are based on political, economic and social Situation in Papua New Guinea. Some sources described the way of life of New Papua Guinea people, and concentrated on the evolution of their way of live.
In this week, the big issue that faced me with materials I used was that those resources only had general information regarding my topic.
This week, the work was good, and I started with PNG People's Main form Occupation, their Health condition and Education Status. Meanwhile, at the end of this week I started research and reading about Biodiversity, Food Availability, Weather Pattern and Seasonal Variations, Foods Grown in Papua New Guinea and Staple Foods Consumed & Other Foods Consumed variables. The references found helped in identifying the healthy and educational history and condition of life of PNG natives. I was able to understand the main occupations which were available to people and distributing them in term of resources.
In addition, I read legislatures that have been put in place with aim of protecting biodiversity and improving nutritional levels in PNG. Materials in the references provide an overview to the nutritional status of Papua New Guinea, and identified food grown and major food consumed and various deficiencies in PNG diets. These sources identified the causes of biodiversity loss, possible solutions and revealed the traditional methods adapted to utilize and manage the dwindling biodiversity. In addition, those sources described various Biodiversity hotspots and major tropical wilderness areas in the entire Papua New Guinea. Information provided by those references as regards to weather and environmental Issues were minimal.
I was happy to get more information about that section.
During further research, I found significant information about food situation, details of dietary, nutritional allocations and the natural resources found in Papua New Guinea. These sources present good impression and provided some materials that deal with the analysis and study of nutritional diseases, their causes, control, and distribution among populations. These sources also provide data in relation to the status of iron, iodine, vitamin A, zinc and other vitamin deficiency among women and young children Papua New Guinea. Some sources gave more information about nutritional deficiencies or problems such as, low birth weight, infant feeding, child growth, nutritional anaemia, and obesity. In addition, they provide overview on chronic diseases and its causes. It also revealed and clarified the human health in a malaria-endemic environment and sexually transmitted diseases.
This week was very interesting because, I found materials that are associated with what I studied in the Nutrition Courses.
I started surfing about the relationship between nutrition deficiencies and food availability/consumption and Identifying Composition of Foods. I read some articles, which talk about prevalence of micronutrient malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies of agricultural crops in PNG.
I found also many graphs and tables that describe the total and per capita food production, Papua Yields of Cereals, Roots and Tubers, and Pulses, and Fertilizer Consumption per Hectare of Cropland. Information on special yield of sweet potato was also included.. In addition, I read details of the nutritional status that showed the trends in energy requirements and energy supplies and calorie availability in rural and urban sectors and determinants of nutrient availability of Papua New Guinea. There were several tables, which described nutritional outcomes in rural and urban sectors. I got some methods for assessment of Nutrition such anthropometric data, which reflect nutrition status for people. There was little research done also on the state of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture in the region.
In this week, I could not understand some tables presented in those resources because some of them were complex in description. .
I decided to read about food security, shortages, and food security issues in farms, support and suggestions on implementation of programmes aimed at improving diets. I found little sources that gave the challenges faced by both government and non–government institutions in assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluation of various nutrition policies. Also, they gave critical analysis of food security and detailed global policies in nutritional deficiency, and funds provided to alleviate poverty in PNG.
This week, I was preparing with others for the presentation, collected the specific information from the research papers, which we already had then. After the meeting that was held on 26/09, we divided the work to several parts to be easier for focusing. Aaron and I were responsible for the following aspects:
Background
Geographical Location
Population and its Distribution: Rural vs. Urban.
Agriculture
Political, Economic and Social Situation.
People's Main Occupation.
Health and Education Condition
According to the meeting we had on 30/09, we had to collect some information on each group, which they had. As we are cooperating as a group, we also function individually. I found some PDFs that are about biodiversity and suggestions on implementation of programmes aimed at improving diets in PNG. I thought they were useful, and then gave them to Lu in order to cover entire suggested parts. To be honest I could not read some of them carefully, therefore I did attach them into my file.
On 3 / 10, we had a meeting and the agenda was to discuss our situation, and plan how to have a good presentation. We also discussed how to share the research papers.
We almost finished the preparation of presentation, after the meeting on 11/10 would start to prepare the Power Point presentation. (I, Hajar and Lu )
Note: I did not attach whole papers, which I read, but attached the topics of researches and specific information, because they need more than a file. As you know, we should put our research papers together into one file.
