Feeding the Household, Growing the Business, or Just Showing Off? Farmers' Motivations for Crop Diversity Choices in Papua New Guinea

- We analyze semi-subsistence farmers' motivations for growing diverse crops.
- This is done via Q methodology, a mixed qualitative/quantitative method.
- The case study is Papua New Guinea, a major center of crop diversity.
- Results show five main types of farmers, with highly different motivations.
- Results can be used to target crop conservation and use programs.

Understanding farmers' reasons for growing diverse crop portfolios is essential for supporting the conservation of agricultural biodiversity to foster social-ecological resilience and conserve crop genetic resources. In this paper, Q methodology is applied to examine the motivations for growing diverse crops among semi-subsistence rural farmers in Papua New Guinea. Various types of farmers are identified including so-called 'marketer-consumers,' who are highly motivated by crop sale, and 'exhibitionists,' who prioritize the 'show' values of crops. This approach can be applied to better target programs seeking to conserve crop diversity and promote new crop varieties in regions undergoing rapid transformation.