Australia supports Shelvin’s dream job
FROM a young age, Shelvin Avneel Prasad had already established that he would pursue a career in construction and tiling. Growing up, Shelvin was inspired by watching skilled carpenters build houses in his community.
He joined Fast Tiling and Construction in Nausori full time after completing secondary education six years ago. He dedicated himself to supporting his mother through hard work and commitment.
The Baulevu lad decided to pursue further education and enrolled in the Diploma in Civil Engineering program at the Fiji National University in 2017.
However, due to financial constraints, he completed only one semester.
Shelvin did not give up on his dream and took up the Certificate III in Wall and Floor Tiling course (CPC31320) at the Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC). His experience with Fast Tiling and Construction, where he had been working after his high school years, proved instrumental in shaping his career in construction.
At APTC, Shelvin acquired a diverse skill set, mastering various aspects of wall and floor tiling, including safety protocols and effective work practices.
"Learning at APTC was like unlocking a toolbox of possibilities, and every challenge is a chance to learn and grow. My fellow students were eager to share ideas and knowledge, which made going back to the classroom interesting.
"As a tiler and construction worker, every tile I lay demonstrates my commitment and passion for turning boring spaces into something extraordinary. It's my craft, and I take pride in every detail," Shelvin said.
He is grateful for the support from the Australian Government through APTC which enabled him to attain an internationally recognised qualification without financial constraints. As soon as he completed the six-month course, Shelvin returned to Fast Tiling and Construction. In his free time, he undertakes private jobs to enhance his professional and personal endeavours.
"Returning to work felt like stepping onto a familiar ground with a new vision. I now see each project as an opportunity to showcase my newfound skills and knowledge, and contribute to the construction industry in Fiji," Shelvin added.
Fast Tiling and Construction director, Diven Chand, recognises Shelvin's potential and commitment, adding that he is also willing to support with additional jobs.
"Shelvin is an asset to our company. His passion for the job, combined with the skills he gained at APTC, has elevated our projects. As a tiler, he aligns seamlessly with our standards and works with minimum supervision," Mr Chand said.
Looking ahead, Shelvin aspires to pursue further studies in Civil Engineering and Construction, recognising the many benefits that come with his Australian-standard qualification.
His advice to youths is, "If you get the opportunity to study, go for it."
APTC is Australia's major technical and vocational education and training program in the Pacific and Timor-Leste, contributing to a more skilled, inclusive, and productive workforce.
Since 2007, the Australian Government has supported more than 7600 Fijians with the necessary qualifications and skills to pursue diverse and rewarding vocational careers.
THERE is a growing focus on the commercial production of sheep and goats in the Pacific nations of Fiji and Samoa, where ACIAR-supported research is helping smallholders improve the productivity and profitability of their flocks and herds.
Both countries have developed their own national sheep breed, the Fiji Fantastic and the Mamoe Samoa, which offer the potential to establish locally branded meat as an agritourism product.
Target premium markets include hotel chains, restaurants, catering services and supermarkets.
In addition to sheep, Fiji also has commercial goat herds, with goat meat popular among the country's Indian and Muslim populations.
Production issues are similar for both sheep and goats, and research activities with smallholder farmers are focusing primarily on improving survival and growth rates for young animals.
The University of New England is leading this work in partnership with the governments of Fiji and Samoa, with livestock scientist Dr Tiago Silva based in Fiji as the project coordinator.
A key driver of this project is a desire by the Fijian and Samoan governments to replace low-quality, often high-fat, imported sheep meat with higher-quality, locally produced meat.
'Imports make up 90 per cent of sheep meat consumed and there is an existing high demand that local producers can supply, achieving prices comparable to imported meats,' said Dr Silva.
Record of progress
The aim of the ACIAR-supported project is to help smallholders improve their productivity and supply more animals into domestic markets, more profitably.
Creating a nationally branded sheep meat for premium markets is a longer-term goal for the industry.
Farm record-keeping is a high priority for the project, to gather both baseline data on industry productivity and to help smallholders better evaluate their businesses.
Small groups of farmers in Fiji and Samoa are taking part in hands-on training, as well as cost-of-production and record-keeping trials for the project.
Field officers visit monthly to collect data from project books recording herd and flock productivity details such as births and birth weight, animal deaths, sales and expenses.
Farmers are testing supplementary feeding or 'creep feeding' strategies for young livestock using a simple fence or enclosure with small gaps, and additional food in the centre that only young animals can reach.
Each farm has also been provided with hanging scales to monitor the growth rates of their animals, along with drenches, and field staff regularly monitor the worm burden in animals.
'Building relationships and working closely with the smallholder farmers and their families has also revealed the significant involvement of women in raising livestock and making commercial decisions,' said Dr Silva.
'Our project training activities actively encourage women to take part, and they are highly engaged, particularly around animal nutrition and rearing practices.'
In addition to the traditional challenges, smallholders in Fiji and Samoa face threats from dogs, with up to 30 per cent of animal deaths attributed to dog attacks.
One farmer taking part in the program also realised he had lost 30 per cent of his animals to theft.
The project is now considering options to address this issue.
Drench research
Research into the level of internal parasites in animals and potential drench-resistance in Fiji has been a key part of the project, responding to concerns raised in a previous ACIAR-supported project that identified a high worm burden in both sheep and goats.
Dr Silva said trials with commercial farms showed the problem was not as severe as feared.
However, sampling of farms across the country shows a high incidence of worms, suggesting a discrepancy between actual and reported drenching practices.
Drenching is also integrated into the smallholder research activity, which aims to quantify any production losses caused by worms in sheep and goat farms.
Mrs Alice Baleiverata is a field officer for the project in the western region of Fiji and said the farmers she works with have been impressed with the effects of drenches trialled with pregnant does.
'The farmers have noticed that the babies are stronger at birth, and their growth rates are really fast. They've seen an improvement in weight gain for the kids and the mothers,' said Mrs Baleiverata.
Supported by results similar to these, cost-of-production assessments for smallholders are helping to identify the benefits in growth and return from sales that justify the expense and effort of regular drenching and monitoring of worms.
Government staff are key to project implementation, which includes training for staff at the Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways in Fiji and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in Samoa to strengthen incountry livestock extension services.
Both countries have government livestock breeding and research centres that are supporting the project with drench, feeding and pasture trials. ACIAR Research Program Manager, Livestock, Dr Anna Okello said improved productivity will help build domestic supply in Fiji and Samoa.
There is also a potential opportunity for supplying premium agritourism markets with national – rather than imported – products, particularly with the continued investment in infrastructure such as transport and abattoirs.
Dr Okello highlighted this project as part of the growing ACIAR investment into small ruminants.
'Small ruminants are often overlooked in research, particularly when compared to that of the cattle industry, although sheep and goats are crucial to the food security and income for some of the world's most vulnerable people,' said Dr Okello. '
They provide livelihoods for women, in particular, and for landless people, who can often use unimproved pastures and urban areas to graze their animals.'
The five-year project in Fiji and Samoa is expected to conclude in June 2024, while a 3.5-year project on goat production in the Sindh and Punjab regions of Pakistan ended last year. Another five-year project looking at goat production in Laos and Vietnam will end later this year.
Dr Okello said all of these projects are providing valuable data that will support further development of the small ruminant sectors in ACIAR partner countries.
To improve productivity and incomes, benchmarking animal health, feeding strategies, regular weighing of animals and record-keeping are common elements in the projects