Sowing for the future
Villagers bank on God-given land
WHEN the elders of Savatu district in Ba opened their rich upland forests for logging they didn’t realise the long-term consequences to the community, said Peni Nagata of Lewavou settlement in Savatu, Ba.
This is the upper Nadarivatu area, about two hours drive from Tavua Town. Back in the 1930s until the 1950s, the forests of Savatu district in Ba, in the upper Nadarivatu areas, were heavily logged, said Mr Nagata.
The government had to intervene to stop the uncontrolled logging, resulting in the formation of a forest reserve, he said.
However, logging continued into the 1970s and 1980s.
Unsustainable farming practices further led to the Savatu tikina land, Mr Nagata said.
Mr Nagata, a retired forestry officer, said village life became harder as their land, depleted through deforestation and poor land practices, yielded little.
“Many left the village looking for work and some left to look for a spouse in other places and did not want to return.
“Our village became empty as they left and over the years, I was trying to think of a solution to bring them back and at the same time retain the ones already in our settlement,” he said.
Before his retirement in 2013, he had already set out a plan. In 2010, he planted yasi trees so that by the time he retired they were already producing seeds.
On New Year’s Day of his first year of retirement he called everyone to his house.
“I told them I have no money as it was used to educate my children. Our numbers were decreasing and we needed to do something to keep our people in the village,” he said.
“And I had spread out a mat with tapa and a cloth at the top and on it I placed the potted seedlings.
“I then told them, I wanted us to make use of the land that God gave us. I showed them the seedlings and said they are valuable because in 30 years’ time they will look after our children.
“It will be their bank to help our children pursue further studies and that was the beginning of our tree-planting.”
Fast forward to today, and the little community of Lewavou have taken further steps in their tree-planting to assist the government’s initiative to plant four million trees in four years.
The community has come to understand that a healthy forest provides a host of benefits, such a clean drinking water, materials, foraged foods, traditional medicines, and helps replenish the soil for farming.
“Everyone in the village is involved right up to the three-year-olds who are given a potted seedling to carry. Each person is now planting one tree in a day so that in a week they have planted seven trees,” Mr Nagata said.
“The overall goal of the community is to be an example to the wider Savatu tikina
communities so that they can also follow what we are doing. Our long-term goal is to develop this initiative for eco-tourism.”
Conservation officer for Ba Province Rusiate Valenitabua who has been working closely with them said it was encouraging to see the community of Lewavou supporting the reforestation project in their tikina
which in turn has resulted in government supporting them.
He said one member of the community Semisi Ketewai had been recruited into the forest warden program by the Ministry of forests and was the Nadrivatu forest warden. The ministry had also assisted the community with tree seedlings and nursery construction.
Mr Valenitabua said, with the support of the Forest warden, a sustainable forest management training was conducted and facilitated by the Ministry of Forestry and the Ba Provincial Council office for the tikina Savatu where a tour of the Lewavou community initiative was part of the program.
Children have been greatly involved and are aware of the importance of forests, he added.
The village has also banned burning
while agroforestry is becoming the lead farming practice.
As a result, soil erosion has decreased significantly, he said.
“They have planted native timber and ornamental tree species such as dakua, pine, Norfolk Island pine, aquilaria, sandalwood and fruit trees.
“The community has also began venturing into grape cultivation and apple tree planting,” said Mr Valenitabua.
“The community have begun to notice the benefits of the program to the community.
“It has created community togetherness, and every New Year the community holds a thanksgiving service where tree-planting is also part of the program,” he said.
■ Alumeci Nakeke is the communication officer for cChange. The views expressed are the author’s and not of this newspaper.