Picture: Left photo: Left Sakaraia Neidiri, Lavenia (middle), Pauliasi Ratu (right) attending to newborn piglets. Right photo: Makelesi (middle) with her two assistants at the calf rearing shed during feeding time.
The fact that they are women with
a passion for farming; not at all concerned that they will be in a
male-dominated learning space; in fact that spurred them on to sign up for
lessons at the Navuso Agriculture Technical Institute (NATI).
Lavenia Paulina and Makelesi
Lailai Ratuvaga are both second year students undertaking Certificate in
Agriculture Level IV at NATI in Navuso, Naitasiri.
Thriving in a male dominated environment
has borne fruit with the pair becoming supervisors of two of the Institute’s
ten enterprises that turns their classroom learning into practical applications.
Lavenia is the supervisor for the
Piggery section while Makelesi manages the Calf-rearing section.
Makelesi, originally from Bulileka
in the Tikina of Labasa, Macuata is
no stranger to farming as she grew up in a family that loved to farm.
“We moved to various places
because of my dad’s pastoral work as a church minister for the Methodist Church.
We have livestock, yaqona, and crops back home in Bulileka,” she said.
Makelesi who is also fondly known
as ‘Rosi’, whilst growing up wanted to be a Physical Education teacher. She
even went as far as starting her tertiary studies at the Fiji National
University, until a newspaper advertisement by NATI caught her eye.
“What I read completely changed
my mind. I made the decision to rekindle my passion for farming and the idea of
leasing my own Mataqali land for
farming appealed to me,” she said.
“I grew up to loving to farm and
know how sweet farming was after we sold our produce.”
Following approval from her
parents, ‘Rosi’ enrolled and almost immediately began thriving in an
environment that was familiar to her. However, what excited was learning new
things.
Her daily work at the Calf
Rearing shed along with three other Year One students who were all males was to
over-see the welfare of the calves.
“Rearing a newborn calf can be
extremely challenging and requires patience and commitment. We have to keep
them well fed and free of sickness,” Rosi said.
Her team tends to the weaning,
feeding, dehydration, and controlling diahorrhea to 35 calves. It is important
that the calves are kept comfortable with a sick bay nearby in case the animals
fall sick.
“It is enjoyable but I prefer to concentrate
on yaqona as my main crop after I graduate because the weather in Bulileka is
suitable for yaqona and not dairy.”
Her fellow student, Lavenia, 25,
is an expert in birthing piglets which is similar to her dream job of being a
nurse.
“Although I was accepted into
nursing school, it was through the conviction of the Holy Spirit that I not
take that up. Instead I was led to focus on something similar to looking after
people, which was to look after livestock.”
Into her third month as a
supervisor in the Piggery section looking after a total stock of 28, Lavenia has
assisted in birthing eight sows.
Included in their daily tasks,
Lavenia and her team keep an eye out on clipping needle teeth, feeding, docking
of tails, administering iron and other medications, identifying piglets for castration.
“When the pigs are in heat, our
utmost concentration and note taking is at its highest. But we enjoy every bit
of the hands-on-training that’s provided to us by NATI,” she said.
“I am grateful to what the school
has taught me over the years. While I await graduation I am learning as much as
I can about the different enterprises. It is very interesting.”
Lavenia plans to venture into
poultry farming in Naqeledamu, Tailevu after graduating. As part of the
graduation package she will receive a lease agreement that will allow her start
off in making farming a business.
The exposure and knowledge NATI has
and continues to instill in the ladies is sure to take them a long way into
becoming successful agriculture entrepreneurs.
-Ends-