Doreen Ricks is from Enga Province and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Tropical Agriculture. She is currently a Master of Science student in the Agriculture Department at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (UNITECH), Lae, under the EU-FCCB Scholarship Programme.

Her research investigates the effectiveness of three agricultural extension models — Training and Visit (T&V), Farmer Field Schools (FFS), and Family Farm Teams (FFT) — in the context of cocoa production. The study is motivated by evidence that many agricultural development projects fail when they overlook the social realities of rural households, such as engaging the wrong beneficiaries or using approaches ill-suited to low-literacy farming communities. Doreen’s research examines which model most effectively ensures genuine technology adoption, with particular attention to the inclusion of women, who perform more than half of agricultural labour, as active participants in farm management and training. Her findings aim to improve farm productivity and household income through extension approaches that are socially equitable and contextually appropriate.