Building Healthy Communities through Organic Farming

July 23, 2018

Asilika and her daughter show organic ginger and chilli grown on her farm (Photo: UNDP/Kandy Serrant)


Labasa, Fiji –
Twenty-one-year-old Asilika Nause believes that it is now her responsibility to ensure her community has access to fresh, organic food, after attending training sessions through the Youth Empowerment for Sustainable Human Development (YESDev) Project.  A resident of Seaqaqa in Vanua Levu, Fiji, Asilika grows yaqona (kava), dalo, cabbage, beans, tomatoes, ginger and chilli on her farm. She was not aware of the harmful effects of the agri-chemicals used on her farm before the YESDev training sessions. Weedicides and pesticides can leave harmful residues in the soil and can also remain in the crops that are eventually sold for human consumption.

The YESDev project focuses on creating opportunities for decent work and sustaining the livelihoods of young people like Asilika. According to the Fiji Bureau of Statistics’ 2017 Census, more than half of the country’s population is below the age of 27.5 years. This means that there is an increasing number of young people searching for ways to earn a sustainable living. Because over 390, 000 people live in Fiji’s rural areas, YESDev visits remote communities throughout Vanua Levu (Nabouwalu, Seaqaqa, Tukavesi) and Southern Taveuni (Delaivuna), to teach young farmers and entrepreneurs how to access income generating opportunities by using widely-available natural resources. After the training, participants are also able to appreciate and adhere to the rules and regulations of the Pacific Organic Standards, taught during YESDev’s training sessions. Through five sessions held from October 2017 to July 2018, farmers learned about the importance of soil ecology, its functions, the production of natural farm inputs (compost, vermi-composting, organic fertilizer), agroecological farm planning and farming for income.

“Organic farming helps me to provide healthy food to my community. Nowadays there are new types of diseases due to the chemicals which are in the foods we eat,” Asilika said of her motivation to remain organic.

Young women like her make up more than 30% of YESDev’s participants. She was encouraged to join the training sessions by Mohammed Shanil, the Head of the Labasa Youth Development for Change in Fiji’s Northern Division. At 33 years old and a farmer himself, Mohammed has been working with youth in his community on development issues for eight years. He oversees the work of 35 youth clubs and passionately supports them in accessing training opportunities that could build their entrepreneurial skills. After embracing the organic techniques he learnt through the YESDev Project, he became a passionate advocate for sustainable farming that preserves the environment and leads to better outcomes for human health.

“This training has really encouraged me to pursue sustainable ways to generate income. I find it very profitable. As a leader, I encourage youth to gain more knowledge to develop their skills. I’m trying to empower and connect them to NGOs, CSOs and government ministries,” he said.

Mohammed Shanil received a Certificate of Participation for his attendance at the YESDev Project Training (Photo: UNDP/Kandy Serrant)


In July 2018, YESDev’s pilot programme completed one year of training sessions implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pacific Office in Fiji in partnership with Loving Islands and supported by the Australian Government. YESDev works to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals with a focus on Goal 3, Good Health and Well-Being, Goal 5, Gender Equality and Goal 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities. The initiative aimed to ensure that Fiji’s Northern Youth participants are conscious advocates of Organics for Income. The sessions enabled youth to be agriculturally productive, inclusive, non-discriminatory and ambassadors for gender equality and the empowerment of women. The project’s next cycle takes place in September 2018, with the intention of conducting progress checks to assess how well the participants are integrating YESDev knowledge into their own businesses.