Picture: Gayatri with her children and the small canteen in the background.
I-taukei have land and if you are lazy and not make use of it, then
you will not achieve anything.
Those are the words of wisdom of
Gayatri Mala Vocea, 35, who lives in Nacobo Village, Lovoni, on the island of
Ovalau in the Lomaiviti Group.
“Farming is good because it can
keep you healthy at the same time, women can help provide food on the table,”
she said.
Gayatri’s husband is from Nacobo
Village and she has been living there for the last two years with her four
children. She on the other hand, hails from Dreketi, Vanua Levu.
Speaking a mixture of i-taukei and English but mostly i-taukei, she said she moved to Nacobo,
after her mother-in-law became sick and they went to help look after her.
In that time, she managed to
start a little farm of her own growing corn and vegetables, especially those
that are consumed by Fijians of Indian descent, such as bitter gourd (karela), Sponge gourd (toroi), and Okra (bhindi).
It is interesting to note that
Gayatri stands out not only due to her lineage and living in an i-taukei village, but also that she is
industrious and is able to identify what type of vegetables she should grow
that will sell fast. Hence, the reason she has targeted the particular
vegetables consumed by Fijians of Indian descent.
Due to her vegetable farm, she
was assisted by the Ministry of Agriculture with a rotovator to till her land
as part of her land preparation before farming.
“Women do not need to rely on
their husbands, they can also find ways to provide for their families
especially their children,” she said.
She was also recognized during
the Ovalau/Motoriki Day and was awarded farming implements that helped her in
her farm.
At the moment, her vegetable farm
is at a standstill after the latest cyclone of TC Ana destroyed her crops. But,
that has not deterred her from continuing her farm and will do so, as soon as
the weather clears up.
Gayatri is industrious because
she also creates art and craft, has just started her livestock farming, with
three goats, and does a bit of sewing as well.
The art and craft she dabbles in
includes making artificial frangipani flowers and selling these to PAFCO
ladies, and artificial picture frames.
She explained that her artificial
flowers was always sold out especially during the festive season, as many
ordered for their kala-vata wear.
Gayatri also operates a small
canteen from her home. Again, she says she tries out all sorts of
income-generating activity for the sake of helping put food on the table for
her children and family.
Gayatri was assisted under the Ministry of Agriculture’s
Extension Services and COVID-19 Home Gardening Seeds Distribution Program.
-ENDS-