The Ministry of iTaukei Affairs, the Ministry of Fisheries and Forests, and the Ministry of Agriculture have launched – Wakatu Fiji –, a groundbreaking campaign to better support community efforts to sustainably manage their land and forests.

The campaign was developed with support from FAO and cChange, a local communications NGO. The campaign (Wakatu which means ‘tree’) aims to promote actions at all levels, and in all sectors, to sustainably use the land and forests, and ensure communities can continue to benefit from healthy natural resources.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs, Naipote Katonitabua, explained that the land and forests are increasingly being overused as demands on resources have increased due to population growth. The symptoms are declining food crops, flooding to homes, lack of clean drinking water, reduced fish stocks, and less access to building materials, traditional medicines, and foraged foods.

“Wakatu Fiji is a call to action to all Fijians. It’s time we not only met our obligations to family, to church and to our communities, but also to the thing that provides for all us. We must meet our obligations to care for the land,” Katonitabua said.

Assistant FAO Representative to Fiji, Joann Young explained. “FAO is always ready and willing to provide technical assistance where needed, but ultimately the power to secure Fiji’s land and way of life lies in the hands of communities. This is why we are extremely happy to be a part of the Wakatu Campaign, a truly innovative collaboration of three government ministries to promote sustainable land use and food security.”

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Forests, Samuela Lagataki, said that the ministry’s staff have collaborated well at the grassroots level.

“Now this campaign is bringing that collaboration to the highest level of the government, for the betterment of our people, at a time when threats such as climate change, are making life harder for Fiji communities,” Lagataki said.

Through national media and improved grassroots outreach, the campaign will shine a spotlight on the challenges and the people, including everyday champions, who are already taking steps to solve the problems, such as too much land clearing, unsustainable farming, unsustainable logging and uncontrolled grazing.

As central part of that outreach will be promoting dialogues in communities on why the land is so valuable. Illustrated flip charts, videos and poster exercises where communities will be used to share local solutions but also why the land is valuable, to security, traditional and culture, will be used, to ensure the campaign is driven by local priorities.

Katonitabua said the campaign will help Fiji deliver its international commitments, such as the Paris Agreement and the country’s the Green Growth Framework. Katonitabua encouraged all sectors, organizations and individuals to join the Wakatu Fiji movement and carry consistent messages about sustainability to Fiji’s communities.

“We hope that you will all join this movement, and help us tell the story of why the land matters so much to Fiji. We need to capture the hearts and minds of the people to create change,” Katonitabua said. “That’s what Wakatu Fiji is all about.”

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