The National Agricultural Research Institute(NARI) pays tribute to one of its former staff Late Jimmy Maro who was instrumental in the establishment of the Geographic Information System currently used by NARI.
Late Maro was one of the first to join NARI in the cadetship program in the year 2000 within the GIS unit and helped to build it up in NARI’s infancy. The GIS provides support services to the staff and also external clients in assessments of agricultural potential,crop suitability and other mapping services using databases such as PNGRIS(Papua New Guinea Resource Information System) and MASP(Mapping Agricultural Systems Project).
A milestone he left behind at NARI was his contribution in the application of spatial analysis using GIS methods in the development of an innovative approach to deriveAR4D(Agricultural Research for Development) strategies that are linked to the needs of farming communities in PNG taking into account the biophysical and socio-economic environment.
Late Maro from Rigo in the Central Province started work in NARI as a Cadet in 2000,completed his cadet program in 2002 and was offered a permanent position as Junior Scientific staff within the GIS Unit for over a decade. He left in 2012 to venture into the mining sector up until his demise on the 31st of December 2024.
He was described by NARI staff who worked with him in the early millennium as a humble and pleasant colleague who was an integral part of developing the institute.
May his soul Rest In God’s Eternal Peace!