Farmers urge researchers to work alongside growers

Farmers are calling on researchers and government agencies to spend more time on farms and work directly with producers to solve real-world agricultural challenges.

Speaking at the Fiji International Landcare and Sustainable Agriculture Conference at the Fiji National University Namaka Campus in Nadi yesterday, Taveuni farmer Alan Peterson said agricultural research should be driven by the needs of farmers rather than institutions.

Mr Peterson said practical partnerships between researchers and farmers were critical to improving sustainable farming and poultry production.

"The problems are down here at ground level, not up there. They must come down and find out what we need, and then we research to solve those problems," Mr Peterson said.

He said farmers often lacked the time and resources to collect data because their priority was earning a living.

"Our bottom line is we've got to make money to feed our families. We don't have time to collect data."

Mr Peterson said farmers had hoped research institutions would place students on farms to undertake practical research while helping improve productivity.

He said farmers in Taveuni established their organisation after witnessing the environmental impacts of deforestation caused by agricultural expansion.

"We were challenged to do something about this. So, a group of us farmers worked together, and we formed this organisation from scratch," he said.

The organisation introduced soil health training, farmer resource centres and sustainable farming practices before expanding into poultry production to diversify farmers' income and reduce reliance on imported eggs.

However, Mr Peterson said commercial poultry farming had presented unexpected challenges, including fluctuating production, rising feed costs and other on-farm issues.

He welcomed the launch of the conference's new research initiative, the South Pacific Extension and Development Institute (SPEDI), describing it as a positive step.

However, he said lasting progress would depend on researchers listening to farmers and working alongside them.

"This is our story on farming and poultry production, and the story is about listening and working together," he said.