This is the first book I co-authored for the agriculture teachers in Papua New Guinea and other South Pacific Island countries.

My co-author Karapuke Toben and I were worried that many agriculture teachers got themselves into bother because they failed to keep good school farm records. They were always being blamed for losing money and we both felt it was usually because of carelessness on their part rather than any criminal intent.

In addition we both know that school agriculture is also the most difficult subject to organise and so we felt a book to help teachers was required.

This book covers all the most difficult aspects of organising school agriculture from the availability of facilities to organising and assessing practical work and planning your program for a year. Teachers should find it really useful.

Each chapter starts with a drawing that usually makes fun of some aspect of the agriculture education process, or teaching or school life in general. Some are funnier than others! I hope you enjoy the funny ones. (See sample below)

The book also includes materials at the end of each chapter, which include questions and instructions on how to use these questions in an in-service situation. In the appendix at the end of the book there are extra resources that are linked to the questions at the end of each chapter.

Brian Robertson, co-author of Organising School Agriculture.

Like all the books in this series the main purpose is to let young people know how they can make some money by starting a business that is well within their capability. They are written to be easily understood, provide honest advice and encourage enthusiasm.

Vanilla Farming was written in 2005 when the vanilla price was at its lowest for a long time. Peter Donigi and I were writing it then because a year or so previously the price had been sky high. This is the case with many agricultural products and this book explains reasons for this very carefully in a chapter on risk management. It can be the same for coffee, cocoa and many other farm products to a greater or lesser degree.

It was Peter who provided all the knowledge about how to grow vanilla. He grows vanilla in East Sepik.

This book also explains the biology of the vanilla plant and the different species that are grown in PNG.

It can be grown in many places in the highlands and lowlands but does need good rainfall over about 10 months of the year.

Curing vanilla pods takes great skill and care. It is very well explained in this book and there is no reason why anyone should not be able to produce export quality vanilla pods to sell for a very good price.

Brian Robertson, co-author of Vanilla Farming.

Like all the books in this series the main purpose is to let young people know how they can make some money by starting a business that is well within their capability. They are written to be easily understood, provide honest advice and encourage enthusiasm.

Rabbit Farming was written by me but I must be honest and say that my wife who kept many rabbits when we were first married helped a lot. We really needed extra money in those days as well as cheap roast rabbit to feed the kids!

The book has clear diagrams with dimensions to enable the construction of rabbit hutches or wire cages. In addition there are instructions on how to make feeders and drinkers.

Information is also given about what and what not to feed rabbits. One of the best foods are the plants in the legume family. Reasons for this are explained in detail.

There is a chapter on work and money, which includes a section on marketing and record keeping. The records you should keep if you intend to breed and sell rabbits are particularly important.

John Sera the fellow on the front cover of this book kept rabbits at his place in Segomi village in the Unggai/Bena District of Eastern Highlands near Siokiei Community School. If you recognise yourself on the cover John please get in touch and let me know if you are still keeping rabbits.

Brian Robertson, author of Rabbit Farming.