Cash From Seedlings Empower Vunaqalutu Women to Boost Nursery and Reforestation Projects
The women of Vunaqalutu in Dreketi, Macuata, are leading agents of change in their village as they embark on a seedling nursery and reforestation project.
The women who are members of Sedenaqele Women’s Club are now more excited to continue raising quality tree seedlings after receiving the first payment of over $24,000 under the Ministry of Forestry’s Community Seedling Purchasing Programme.
Sedenaqele translates to making money from the land, a vision of the 30-member club.
All seedlings raised will be planted on the 100-hectare talasiga land on which Mataqali Vunaqalutu has signed a community incentive contractual agreement between the Ministry of Forestry and the iTaukei Affairs Board.
The contract for reforestation is for five years, and the Ministry’s priority is to assist landowners with village initiatives. This is similar to the project at Narayabale in Vaturova, Cakaudrove.
The women’s club will continue to supply quality planting materials or seedlings to the Ministry. To date, the club members’ have individual nurseries in their compounds, however, they have plans to build a large nursery to accommodate all their seedlings.
The Ministry, under the Reforestation of Degraded Forests Project (RDF Project), has budget provisions to assist community groups and individuals engaged in raising tree seedlings in their nurseries. The RDF Project is a governmentfunded project promoting the reforestation of the degraded forest in Fiji, which involves planting 30 million trees in 15 years. One of their major tasks is the coastal rehabilitation and construction of community nurseries.
With this community incentive, more landowners will be able to participate in these reforestation programmes, resulting in more land accessible for the forestry programme to meet the Ministry’s planting target of 30 million trees planted in 15 years.
Impact of seedlings payment
Sharing their stories with the Ministry’s Monitoring and Evaluation team last week, the women sang songs of praise about how the seedling payment has greatly impacted them individually and their families.
The women who formed a cooperative invested $4000 in it with a goal and dream of developing their small village.
Mere Ciba, 61, who looks after the club’s village canteen, described the payment as mana from heaven for the women, who were indeed financially able to improve their livelihoods.
Ms Ciba said the canteen was on the verge of bankruptcy as it was crippled with debt. However, this all changed when the club members received their seedling money. “The first thing our members did after receiving their seedling payment was pay off their debts, including their husbands. I was emotional because I had given up hope of running the canteen and knew it would close,” Ms Ciba said. “I would like to thank the Forestry team for raising awareness about this replanting initiative and offering a community incentive, as it has opened our eyes to the importance of not only safeguarding our environment and future generations, but also providing an income.”
Ms Ciba further stated that the women were able to fix their homes and purchase gas stoves, lino/ carpet, brush cutters, chainsaws, voivoi, kula and cooking utensils, to name a few.
“This indeed has brought smiles to our members and now they are eager to continue raising seedlings and at the same time plant for our future.”
Another member, Selina Monika, stated that the seedling sales enabled her to realize her desire of owning a cooking stove, which has inspired her to grow more healthy seedlings for the club and work alongside other members.
Community empowerment
Joseva Ratuba, Tikina Dreketi’s resource management representative, stated that native tree planting has begun on the 100-hectare site and that they hope to continue the momentum.
Mr Ratuba stated that Vunaqalutu Village is implementing the’solesolevaki’ project, or communalism, in order to build relationships between vanua, lotu, and the community as a whole. This is critical for them as they work on the forestry initiative women and youth.
“The men and young boys weed and clear the land and the women plant the tree seedlings. This is working in unity for without unity, nothing can be achieved,” Mr Ratuba said.
“Our village elders have agreed to start this project after being made aware of climate change and environmental protection by your team, and this has changed our mindset, to think not only about our generation today, but also our future.” “We have indeed been empowered, as it opened our eyes to look with their at opportunities like this as a winwin for all project. With the money from the seedling payment that the women received, it was an added boost and now we will continue to work harder.
We have come to realise that what we have to offer or leave behind for our future in terms of environmental protection is tree planting,” Mr Ratuba added.
This week, the villagers began building a walkway through the village to all of the homes using a portion of the seedling payment funds set aside for community projects.
Mr Ratuva stated that the objective now is to keep the momentum of this initiative going as they work on their long-term goal of extending the electricity grid from the highway to the village.
Acting Permanent Secretary, Atelaite Rokosuka said communities can be leaders in forest conservation that also provides economic, social and climate resilience benefits.
Mrs Rokosuka said the Ministry is partnering with community land-owning units in the four divisions to procure more land to establish more tree plantations in Fiji, through the provisions of community incentives.
“Engaging the services of land owning-units in this programme, will enhance the Government’s initiative to plant 30 million trees in 15 years. The involvement of landowners in the community incentive programme will increase the geographical area under forest and tree cover in the community lands in the villages and at the same time improves their socio-economic status by creating employment and income generation.”
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