Picture: Minister for Agriculture Hon. Dr. Mahendra Reddy with farmers and recipients of the Ministry's Small Farming Equipment programme at Naiviyago, Lautoka.

The reliance on mono-cropping, the production of only one crop, is a worrying trend noticed by the Ministry of Agriculture as it is widely practiced by a majority of farmers throughout the country.

While handing over offer letters to recipients of the Ministry’s Small Farming Equipment programme at Naiviyago in Lautoka recently, Minister for Agriculture Hon. Dr. Mahendra Reddy highlighted the lack of agricultural diversification evident amongst Fijian farming households. 

Minister Reddy referred to farming practices of the past by farmers, who 4-5 decades ago often incorporated crop diversification as part of their commercial farming systems and had a variety of crops readily available for the market. 

“Even sugarcane farmers, large sugarcane farmers, had other commercial crops and subsistence crops and livestock as well. The primary objective was that you would want to stabilize and diversify your household and farming income.

“However, over time, farmers reverted back to just mono-cropping which is very worrying to us because if you practice mono-cropping when the price of that commercial crop or livestock goes down, it affects both the farmers' and the households’ income which contributes to the farming households vulnerability, we want you to undertake diversification and to have more than 1 crop.  

Minister Reddy said by limiting themselves to practicing just one form of farming or mono-cropping, they were subjected to more risks from climate change which could have an adverse effect on that particular crop. 

“There are a number of risks that could affect that particular crop such as pests and diseases that could cripple your farming endeavour, take Samoa for example, the Taro beetle alone completely devastated Samoa's dalo industry, and that's why mono-cropping is a dangerous and risky agricultural practice because Samoa was a major dalo exporting country, and thankfully enough, here in Fiji, we have controlled the spread of dalo beetle. That's just an example I want to share with you regarding the risks of mono-cropping.  

“So it is very important that farmers undertake diversification rather than relying on just one crop for your household and farming income,” said Hon. Reddy. 

The Ministry of Agriculture promotes increased crop diversification systems as it tends to be more agronomically stable and resilient. Some of the common advantages found in most diverse agricultural systems include reduced disease, weed and insect pressures; reduced need for inorganic fertilizers; reduced erosion; and increased soil fertility and increased yields.

Diversification also can provide a habitat for beneficial insects and reduce pest numbers by rendering host crops less apparent for colonization by pests. 

Diversification increases economic stability by reducing financial risk, stabilizing farm income, and increasing choice of farm practices.

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