ANU-affiliated agricultural scientist and human geographer Mike Bourke has been recognised for service to PNG in the 40th Independence Day honours.
He was awarded the Office of the Order of Logohu (OL) for service to agriculture over forty five years specialising on food crops, in research and training and project management, as well as his leadership contribution in the Mapping Agriculture in PNG project, which encompassed 85 districts.
Mike has worked on village agriculture in PNG since 1970. In the 1970s and early 1980s he worked for the PNG Department of Primary Industry, including at the Kerevat and Aiyura Agriculture Research Stations. He completed his PhD at ANU in 1988 on food shortages in PNG. He has been associated with ANU as a Visiting Fellow and Adjunct Senior Fellow since this time, including as part of the Department of Human Geography’s Land Management Group.
Mike, with Bryant Allen and colleagues, undertook a major study on agricultural systems in PNG in the early 1990s and contributed to the assessment of the 1997-98 frosts and drought. This research is of particular importance at present with PNG currently experiencing similar environmental conditions.
Mike has made a tremendous contribution to research on PNG agriculture and these honours are very much deserved.
Congratulations Mike!