Men practise communal farming

THE age-old tradition of communal farming called solesolevaki is being practised by the men of Nawaisomo, Naitasiri.

Rupeni Tokatokavanua said apart from keeping the iTaukei custom alive, it also helped their families cope with the economic downturn caused by COVID-19.

“We divide ourselves into 25 groups and each group consists of five men,” the 33-year-old father of three said.

“We work on our allotted areas, sleep in the jungle, return to the village during the weekend and go back on Monday.

“We are using this lockdown to help each other out so that we can all have a farm and we will use the money we earn for our secondary and tertiary students.”

Mr Tokatokavanua said he travelled to the Sawani containment border on Fridays and sold bananas, dalo and ota (fiddlehead fern).

“I plant dalo, ota and yaqona because there is always a market for them.

“There’s no time for breakfast, I have to get up about 2.30am to catch the truck at 3am and reach the border at 5am, it costs me $15 one way.

“It’s a sacrifice I have to make for the sake of my wife and children.”

Mr Tokatokavanua said the Nawaisomo men got a lot of support from their kinsmen who lived in Suva.

“They always come and buy crops and produce from us.

“I’m lucky because women from our village in Suva came to Sawani to buy from us and sell all our crops at the Suva municipal market.

“After I sell my crops, I go and buy food from the stalls at the border.

“My target is to buy a truck in the future from the money I earn.”