Fiji to develop innovation in agriculture

During her keynote remarks, Mrs. Miliakere Nawaikula, Director of Research, Fiji Agriculture Research Division, Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Primary Industries, stressed that Fiji is a small country where technology transfer for smallholder farmers is still a main challenge. Mrs. Nawaikula delivered her remarks on the occasion of the High-Level Policy Dialogue on Technology Transfer for Smallholder Farmers, held on 13 February 2013 in Bogor, Indonesia.

In addition, Mrs. Nawaikula said that the two main constraints that Fiji is currently facing are the lack of farmer extension worker resources and climate change issues. However, Mrs. Nawaikula expressed that Fiji is now working to help smallholder farmers with existing resources in their communities.  She shared a story about a program in Fiji that is helping smallholder farmers to diversify their products for increased income generation in the long run. In the area of cassava production, Fiji is helping farmers to process and develop cassava as an end product that could be sold in the market leading to increased farmer incomes.

Finally, Mrs. Nawaikula in her closing expressed her gratitude for a chance to be part of the dialogue and her desire to learn from other experiences as well as about potential new technologies from other regions or countries that she could bring to Fiji, particularly the simple and easy innovations that would be more practical for Fiji smallholder farmers.  

Reported by:  Him Khortieth, CEDAC, Cambodia, himkhortieth@cedac.org.kh