Agriculture is also an important economic activity in Matthews Ridge, however to a lesser extent than mining.

[2] Between 1962 and 1968, Matthews Ridge was the location of a large manganese mining operation by Union Carbide.

[3] A 38.5-mile (62.0 km) narrow gauge railway was built to Port Kaituma to transport the ore.[4] The mine was closed in 1968.

[5] With the closing of the manganese mining operation in 1968, the village went into an economic downturn, which it struggled to recover from for many years.

This involves travel to backdams (small areas where gold is known to be located) by foot or on ATVs, where batels or dredges are used to mine.