Mike Bourke

Dr Mike Bourke is an Honorary Lecturer at the School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University. 

Mike is an agricultural scientist and geographer by training. He has spent his working life (since May 1970) working in Papua New Guinea (PNG) as well as in Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and other Pacific Island nations. He is a specialist in village agriculture, food crops (particularly sweetpotato), cash income, poverty and the relationship between rural villagers, their environment and food supply. He lived and worked in PNG from 1970 to 1983 and since then has been based at The Australian National University in Canberra. He has been self employed since 1988 and has worked for many international bodies, NGOs, consulting entities, resource extracting companies as well as various government agencies in Australia and PNG.