straight from the hip Farming isn’t easy in the south Pacific nation, but there’s a growing realization that a strong agricultural sector is critical for prosperity
Fiji is a land of more than 300 islands, 25 per cent of which remain uninhabited. All of that unknown conjures up visions of tribal villages ruled by a powerful chief — and so it is. The small villages remain under chieftain rule and they are busy dealing with the same problems I have seen worldwide.
Split between Fijian tribes and Indians, Fiji is a mixed culture of custom and religion. Fifty per cent are Christian on the main islands and almost all are Christian on the small remote islands. When I asked about the shift to Christianity from pagan, Hindu and Islam, the answer was a simple, “We see more miracles in the Christian church.” And they believe it is so with enthusiasm. The choir on Sunday morning in the small village I stayed near, Namagumagua, sang with beauty beyond description.
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Farmers worked in tiny fields with tiny tractors, oxen or the tool of choice, a machete. Most fields were only a few metres square, with large interior farms reaching up to four acres. Commercial sugar farms that were gobbling up small farms are dwindling due to the payment schedule, which sees farmers paid one year after they deliver cane. (This is now under review by the acting military government.) Although Fiji can grow many crops that are exportable, such as banana and coconut, the main food crop remains cassava. Also called tapioca root, cassava root is boiled and then consumed cold. It is very filling. Any extra crops not eaten by the family are sold in roadside stands if the main island road is accessible.
The mountainous jungle roads that I trekked and drove were very difficult to manoeuvre, and the lack of motorized transportation made market access difficult. Many villages owned one car and very few had machines to work the small plots. With fuel at FJ$2.50 per litre and farm income at FJ$6,000 to $10,000 per year, there was little opportunity for a farm family to own both a tractor and transportation. Most had never left the village or farm. Bringing in a variety of foods to balance the diet was also unaffordable as transportation woes and the lack of refrigeration made it expensive. As well, all food sold in Fiji is subject to a 12 per cent tax.
Just as in the rest of the world, there is a steady migration of youth from farms and villages to the city. The gap leaves farmers hard pressed for a short time. In Fiji, children tend to come back to the villages today because of the scarcity of jobs. Although many have found ways to work their way through school, the military rule in Fiji has choked all foreign investment. Professionals cannot find work.
Chinese landowners in the interior are getting great results and are in the words of the Fijian people “very hard workers,” but when they leave the land it is “finished.” The Fijian people remain dependent on their own food crops at the end of the day as one chop or piece of chicken costs FJ$7 — which is nearly a day’s wage.
Sesenieli Raturageci is a woman who is educated and came to own her own farm. She is challenging farmers, especially women to think about farming again.
“I would like to challenge young women in the country that farming is an activity that must be considered seriously. It ensures food security and income security as well.”
The need to be recognized runs deep in Fiji as it does in many countries as governments worldwide fail to understand the importance of agriculture. I asked many folks in Fiji on both ends of the wage scale what the country needed.
“We need to promote more farming! We need more farmers!” they said.
The high cost of food and the lack of transport have the people crying for more farmers in their communities. Of course, Fijians also need more jobs as the educated cannot find work and the lack of infrastructure means food cannot get to a central market.
To give you an insight as to the importance of more farmers and more food, I will share this story. I gave my laptop of photos to young adults to view. On it were pictures from a dozen countries of various things, but they cried in wonder at two of the photos. One picture was of two large baskets of apples at a small grocery in New Zealand and the other photo was of a meat counter in Argentina. So much food!
With food prices so high and youth leaving the land contributing to urbanization, there are new social and cultural challenges in Fiji. Added to the troubles with food distribution and storage, there is indeed a need to raise awareness of agriculture. The solution lies in what many societies see as the problem. The solution is to have more farmers.
