Jared Diamond makes extensive use of the case of New Guinea to support his thesis in Guns, Germs and Steel. The land in the highlands is not terribly fertile and the native plants are neither easy to cultivate nor high in nutrition. Further, there are no animals endemic to New Guinea that can be domesticated and used by humans. The yam, in its various forms, and pigs and chickens are the backbone of sustenance in Irian Jaya. Rice is a bit of a luxury. Pigs and chickens are extremely valuable and are not eaten on a daily basis. Conflicts often arise over the ownership and theft of these animals which roam free around the mountainside villages.