Income  Generation  from  Yaqeta  Seaweed  Farm  Fiji  Hub  Achievement  Report  October  2014  Objective:  Income  Generation    In  September  2014  seaweed  farmers  in  the  Northern  Yasawas  made  their  first  sale  to  a  Seaweed  exporter.    Since  2013  GVI  have  worked  alongside  the  Fiji  Ministry  of  Fisheries  and  the  local  community  of  Yaqeta  Village  to  help  create,  maintain  and  harvest  the  Yaqeta  seaweed  farm.  This  pilot  project  has  successfully  created  an  alternative  income  source  for  15  families  in  the  region.    

 

Throughout  2014  community  members  in  the  Northern  Yasawas  have  worked  hard  to  ensure  that  seaweed  farming  became  a  viable  alternative  livelihood  for  their  families.  The  type  of  seaweed  being  farmed  is  Kappaphycus  Alvarezzi  which  produces  carrageenan,  a  gelling  and  setting  agent.  The  global  demand  for  this  type  of  seaweed  greatly  outstrips  supply,  with  China  requiring  3000  tonnes  per  month.    During  2013,  GVI  and  the  Ministry  of  Fisheries  collaborated  to  create  a  seaweed  nursery  and  model  farm  in  the  Nacula  Tikina,  close  to  Yaqeta  and  Vuaki  villages.  The  support  and  guidance  provided  by  this  partnership  has  facilitated  the  development  of  seaweed  farming  as  a  local  industry  within  the  district.  The  volcanic  islands  of  the  Yasawas  Islands  have  limited  natural  water  catchment  potential  and  continue  to  experience  an  increasingly  long  dry  season  which  has  impacted  both  water  security  and  the  viability  of  localised  agriculture.  With  coral  health  noticeably  declining  resulting  in  reduced  fish  stocks  the  viability  of  the  traditional  Yasawan  livelihood’s  based  around  fishing  have  

7.7  tonnes  of  seaweed  harvested  

income  received  by  15  farmers  and  their  families  

296  volunteer  hours  contributed  by  GVI    

             

been  negatively  impacted.  Seaweed  cultivation  in  the  shallow  lagoons  of  the  Yasawas  has  strong  potential  to  emerge  as  a  commercially  viable  alternative  livelihood  option.  

The  Yaqeta  cluster  farm  is  a  group  of  small  farms  averaging  around  400  lines  of  seaweed  each  and  is  one  of  around  21  reported  Seaweed  farms  in  Fiji.  Over  time,  more  and  more  potential  farmers  have  wanted  to  get  involved  and  the  cooperative  is  now  made  up  of  15  farmers  across  2  villages.  In  order  to  get  started,  these  farmers  were  provided  with  cuttings  of  seaweed  from  the  nursery  and,  with  GVIs  help,  these  were  then  used  to  create  seaweed  lines.  The  Ministry  of  Fisheries  and  Forestry  set  the  goal  of  establishing  3000  lines  by  June  2014,  so  during  the  spring  months  GVI  worked  alongside  farmers  and  their  families  to  create  the  additional  seaweed  lines  needed.    After  a  busy  few  months  this  target  was  achieved  and  there  are  now  approximately  3000  lines  in  the  Yaqeta  cluster.    

GVI  volunteers  visited  the  seaweed  farm  weekly  in  order  to  oversee  the  maintenance  and  provide  assistance  with  the  labour  required.    GVIs  work  on  the  seaweed  farms  has  therefore  strengthened  our  presence  in  the  region  and  relationship  with  Vuaki  and  Yaqeta  villages  and  with  the  Ministry  of  Fisheries  and  Forestry.  

 

Figure  1  Left,  GVI  volunteers  transport  the  harvest  to  shore,  Right,  dried  seaweed  is  weighed  and  prepped  for  sale  

 

Out  of  the  fifteen  farmers  in  the  cooperative,  twelve  harvested  in  July  and  August  2014.  The  seaweed  was  then  dried  in  the  sun  and  packed  into  sacks.  In  September  a  buyer  from  the  Chinese  firm  Wikong  Marine  Seafood  Exports  visited  the  villages  to  inspect  the  seaweed  crop  and  agreed  to  buy  all  the  produce  from  the  farms.  The  price  of  Seaweed  from  the  farm  has  been  increased  from  $0.9/kg  to  $1  per  kg.    

Statistics  from  the  first  sale:    

Average  bag  weight   30-­‐40kg  Tonnage  sold  to  date   7.7  Average  earnings     900FJD  per  farmer    

             

Many  of  the  farmers  were  subsisting  on  less  than  5000FJD  per  annum  which  is  below  the  poverty  line.  Both  men  and  women  have  been  involved  in  the  cultivation  and  upkeep  of  the  farm  and  this  new  income  generation  alternative  to  fishing  has  added  a  further  sustainable  and  accessible  means  for  sustaining  remote  island  communities.  

Seaweed  farming  requires  little  technical  knowledge  but  a  lot  of  man-­‐power  when  tying  lines  and  harvesting.  At  the  beginning  of  this  initiative,  GVI  volunteers  provided  some  of  this  man-­‐power  on  a  weekly  basis,  helping  to  promote  the  project  and  establish  a  weekly  system  of  upkeep.  Now  that  the  farms  are  lucrative,  more  people  are  becoming  interested  which  has  enabled  the  Yaqeta  cluster  farm  to  become  self-­‐sufficient.  The  villagers  that  have  been  involved  from  day  one  have  seen  the  method  from  start  to  finish,  from  line  establishment  to  harvest.  These  villagers  now  have  the  ability  to  continue  seaweed  farming  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  villagers  will  share  the  knowledge  and  encourage  the  practice  in  other  areas  of  the  region.    

 

 

Figure  2  An  Impressive  boat  load  of  seaweed  is  transported  to  shore  for  drying  

 

GVI  Fiji  

 

For  more  information  on  GVI’s  projects  in  Fiji  please  visit  www.gvi.co.uk  For  more  information  on  our  global  impact  visit  www.gviworld.com  To  make  a  donation  to  our  water  security  projects  in  Fiji  please  visit  www.gvi.org  for  more  details