The former President of the Republic of Fiji, Na Gone Turaga Bale na Tui Macuata, Ratu Wiliame Maivalili Katonivere (seated, seventh from left), next to the Na Turaga Roko Tui Bau, Ratu Timoci Tavanavanua, former First Lady, Ms Filomena Katonivere (seated to his right), and the ACIAR Research Programme Manager Social Systems, Dr Todd Sanderson, FNU Chancellor and Chair, Dr Adi Alisi Talatoka Vudiniabola, FNU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Unaisi Nabobo-Baba (seated to his left) with delegates and participants at the inaugural Fiji International Landcare & Sustainable Agriculture Conference yesterday.
“To our landowners and members of the vanua, I encourage you to continue cherishing and protecting the land entrusted to you”.
These were the sentiments shared by the former President of the Republic of Fiji, Na Gone Turaga Bale na Tui Macuata, Ratu Wiliame Maivalili Katonivere, who officiated at the inaugural Fiji International Landcare & Sustainable Agriculture Conference hosted by the Fiji National University’s (FNU) College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (CAFF).
The three-day conference, which brought together experts, practitioners, researchers and stakeholders from Fiji, the Pacific and around the world, commenced yesterday at the Fiji National University’s Namaka Campus in Nadi.
Na Gone Turaga Bale na Tui Macuata said the collaboration between the FNU and its partners united participants under a shared purpose to protect, restore and sustainably manage the land and natural resources that support the livelihoods and wellbeing of all people.
“For us as iTaukei people, the vanua is far more than the land beneath our feet. It is our identity, our history, our culture and our way of life. It connects our people, our traditions and our future. The wellbeing of our vanua is directly linked to the wellbeing of our communities. When communities care for the land, the land continues to care for the community,” he said.
Delegates also witnessed the launch of the South Pacific Extension and Development Institute (SPEDI). SPEDI serves as an innovation and outreach hub, bringing together tertiary institutions, Government ministries, and Non-Government Organisations to drive practical advancements in Fiji’s primary industries.
Delegates and participants attending the inaugural Fiji International Landcare & Sustainable Agriculture Conference.
The institute represents an investment in the future of agriculture, rural development and communities, ensuring that knowledge does not remain within institutions but reaches all farmers, villages and young people. FNU’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Unaisi Nabobo-Baba, added that the Landcare movement began in Australia in 1986 with a simple but powerful truth.
“Conservation and agricultural productivity are not opposing goals but complementary ones, and farmers themselves are the best custodians of the land they work,” said the Vice-Chancellor.
The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) Acting Chief Executive Officer, Dr Nick Austin, said ACIAR’s approach was based on co-creating knowledge by combining scientific evidence, local experience and community leadership, to develop solutions that were practical, locally owned and enduring.
“Land care empowers communities to work together, learn together, and take collective action to improve livelihoods while caring for the landscapes on which they depend,” said Dr Austin.
The FNU’s Dean for the College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Associate Professor Dr. Kaliova Ravuiwasa, called on academics and researchers to be custodians of the knowledge shared at the conference.
The conference is hosted in partnership by the FNU and Global Landcare and supported by the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research, Fiji’s Ministry of Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Industry, Tei Tei Taveuni, the Department of Science and Technology – Philippines Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development, RMIT University, the University of the Philippines Los Banos, and the University of Philippines Mindanao.
The conference concludes with a field trip on Friday.
A number of delegates and participants attending a breakout session at the inaugural Fiji International Landcare & Sustainable Agriculture Conference.