2. Env Eco - IJEEFUS - Perception of Agricultural Information Among Farmers in Nadroga Province Fiji _2

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PERCEPTION OF AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION NEEDS

OF FARMERS IN NADROGA PROVINCE, FIJI

SEVINA, DEEKSHA KRISHNA & H. K. SACHAN

Department of Agriculture, College of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry, Koronivia Campus,

Fiji National University, Republic of Fiji

ABSTRACT

Present study was aimed to identify agricultural information among farmers in Nadroga province, Fiji. Out

of 120 farmers 60.8 percent were female and 39.2 percent were male farmers and 83.3 percent were having primary

education. Out of 120 respondents 101(84.2%) respondents farmers were agree that radio is the best source

information on weather forecasting. About 119 (99%) farmer respondents listen to Agro-advisory services weather

forecasting and all agreed that weather forecasting is necessary for sustained crop production in Fiji. 77 (64%)

Respondents also agreed that rain is the topmost weather feature on which Fijian agriculture is reliant on. 104 (87%)

respondents also emphasized need of more information on designing and constructing storm-resistant and protective

structures e.g. constructing earth platforms to raise homestead ground levels. The farmers also required information

on weather, warnings and forecasts, soil management, credit availability and farm management, besides awareness on

improved seedlings, fertilizer and insecticides. The information needs of farmers should, therefore, be more

personalized along with favoring their needs.

KEYWORDS: Agriculture, Farmer, Fiji

Received: Oct 14, 2015 ; Accepted: Oct 23, 2015 ; Published: Oct 31, 2015 ; Paper Id.: IJEEFUSDEC20152

INTRODUCTION

The Fiji Islands have a total land area of approximately 18,400 km2 made up of some 300 islands

(Figure 1). The two largest islands, VitiLevu and Vanua Levu, make up 88% of theland area. Approximately 16%

of the land is suitable for arable agriculture, and afurther 43% can be used for tree cropping and grazing.Nadroga is

one of the fourteen provinces of Fiji and one of eight based in VitiLevu, Fiji's largest island. It is about 2,385

square kilometers and occupies the South-West and Central areas of VitiLevu, Fiji's principal island. Nadroga is

located on the southern coast of the main island of VitiLevu, 11 Km west of the town of Sigatoka.

Figure 1: Map of Fiji Island

Original A

rticle International Journal of Environment, Ecology, Family and Urban Studies (IJEEFUS) ISSN(P): 2250-0065; ISSN(E): 2321-0109 Vol. 5, Issue 6, Dec 2015, 9- 14 © TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

10 Sevina, Deeksha Krishna & H. K. Sachan

Impact Factor (JCC): 3.0965 NAAS Rating: 3.63

Agriculture continues to be the economic mainstay of the Fiji Islands and is metaphorically referred to as the

backbone of the country. The sector, however, is not immune to obscurity and faces many challenges. Two of such

challenges are the lack of agricultural information being disseminated to needy farmers along with traditional negative

stereotype towards agriculture and adapting to climate change. Agriculture is the single largest sector in the economy,

contributing some 43% of Fiji's foreign exchange earnings, employing half the population and accounting for nearly 20%

of GDP. Sugar cane is the most important crop, and two industries, sugar and tourism; largely underpin the economy,

resulting in a highly erratic GDP.

Fiji has four main types of land holdings: state lands, freehold lands, native Leases and vakavanua native lands.

Native land that are leased out as 'Native leases' operate under the 'western' land tenure system; while the Communally held

native lands operate under the 'customary' or vakavanua Land tenure system. Crown Land is administered by the Crown

Lands Act – Cap 132 and Section 42 of the said Act is the Regulations that regulate the leasing and control of Crown

Lands in Fiji, which make up 8.12% of the total land area. It is the vacant Crown lands that are swamped by “Squatters”

and referred to here as Informal Settlements. The land policies of the Lands & Surveys Department does not allow people

to enter and occupy vacant crown land, yet make shift houses are built overnight. Native Land may not be sold except to

government, Apart from these surveys; government may, where it becomes economical to do so, issue instructions to

private surveyors to survey crown lands. ( Native Land Trust Act [Cap 134] – PacL II)

Agriculture is a major sector of the economy in most countries, especially in the developing world. Agro

meteorological information are increasingly being demanded by the farming community to cope more efficiently with

climate variability and the increasing incidence of extreme meteorological events such as droughts ,floods, frosts and wind

erosion with their potential to increase pest and disease infestations, can cause significant economic losses depending on

the stage of crop growth during which they occur. Early forecasts of such events have the potential to help farmers take

appropriate remedial measures that could help avoid or reduce economic losses. Timely availability of agro meteorological

information and services could facilitate both strategic and tactical decisions in increasing and sustaining agricultural

production. The main strategic decisions for which the information is needed include assessment of crop production

potential and identification of appropriate regions for a specific crop, choice of crops/cropping systems, management

practices and marketing of agricultural products.

The distinction between agro meteorological data and information that is useful for decision-making is an

appropriate one that has also been made by other authors (Doraiswamyet al.,2000; Weiss et al., 2000). The information

service itself can be viewed as the output of a production process that incorporates data, the different forecasts of weather

and climate that are available, observations of various components of agricultural systems that are impacted by weather

and climate variations andthe anticipated uses of associated outputs from the system in economic and social activities.

To begin with, successful farming naturally depends on the availability of resources- four tangible resources;

capital, labour, materials, technology and one intangible resource; information (Heeks and Ducombe, 2001). Without

quality agricultural information, bad decisions are made and learning does not occur. This is true everywhere in the world,

but is a major problem in developing countries including Fiji which is extremely information poor. As a result, farmers are

significantly affected. Kizilaslan (2006) argues that proper dissemination of information for agriculture and rural

communities is a crucial tool in the fight against poverty and deprivation and Kiplang’at (1999) proposes farming

communities can undertake effective adoption of agricultural inputs, improve marketing and adopt scientific methods. In

Perception of Agricultural Information Needs of Farmers in Nadroga Province, Fiji 11


addition, the widespread traditional stereotype that agriculture is a poor person’s profession significantly drives people

away from it leading to the lack of interest in agriculture among the general public and especially amongst the youth in the

Pacific (ICT and Media to support agriculture, 2010). Envisaging the solutions, firstly, information and communication

technologies provide the essential link in bridging the information gap, hence transforming information poor farmers into

knowledgeable entrepreneurs.

The main objective of this paper is to present a brief perspective on the current needs for agro meteorological

information and constraints affecting disseminating agricultural information.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Survey technique was used as the principal data collection technique where 120 rural farmers were interviewed.

Farmers of Nadroga Province participated in the survey.Questionnaire was developed and pretested. Questionnaires were

distributed and complete questionnaires were collected from the farmers of study area. Then data was extracted, tabulated

and Data extraction, tabulation and analyzed using descriptive statistics.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

The analysis was done by use of descriptive statistical tools whereas the interpretation and the discussion were

based on the study objectives and the research questions. The results are presented in form of tables and figures.

Demographic Characteristics

The farmer characteristics were identified in order to establish whether they influenceby adoption agricultural

information. The farmer characteristics documented included: age, education level and gender. A sample size of 120

farmers was obtained by proportionate stratified sampling and engaged in the study.

Age of the Farmers

A descriptive analysis was done to describe the age of the respondents in the study area and the results were

summarized in a frequency distribution as shown in Table 1.Results indicated that 45 (37.5 %) farmers were older than 40

years, 35 (29.2 %) in age group of 30-40 years, 37 (30.8%) in age group of 20-30 years and remaining were in the age

group of 10-20 years. Results According to Porcari (2010), an older generation is unfamiliar with new communication

technologies and in many cases, their children are far more familiar with social networking and other recent advances in

Internet use. There is a major need for a cultural change so that they can take advantage of these tools to enhance their

networking, advocacy and other opportunities.

Table 1: Age of the Farmers of Nadroga Province, Fiji

Age of Farmers (Years) Frequency (N=120) Percent (%) 10-20 3 2.5 20-30 37 30.8 30-40 35 29.2 >40 45 37.5

Education Levels of the Farmers

A descriptive analysis of the education level of the respondent farmers in the study area was summarized as

shown in Table 2. Analysis of the education level of the respondent farmers in the study area revealed that out of total 120



farmers 100 (83.3 %) had only primary education while 18(15%) farmers had tertiary education.There was no farmer

educated up to masters’ level.

The majority of the respondents were literate and this is an advantage for dissemination of farm innovations as

education has been shown to be a factor in the adoption of high yielding modern farm practices (Obinne, 1991).

Table 2: Education Levels of the Farmers

Educational Level of Farmers

Frequency (N=120) Percent (%)

Diploma 13 10.8 Higher Diploma 2 1.7 Bachelors 3 2.5 Masters 0 0.0 Illiterate 2 1.7

Primary 100 83.3

Land Holding Types

An analysis of the farmers respondents on land types indicted that 52 %of the respondents had owned land, 31 %

had native land, 5 % had leased land, 4 % had crown land and 8 % had other types of land (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Types of Land in Study Area of Nadroga Province, Fiji

Agricultural Information Needs of Farmers

Information on Weather Parameters in study area of Nadroga Province, Fiji

The results show that all (100%) respondents were agree that information on weather parameters most importantly

,low/high atmospheric pressure, rainfall, cyclones, etc. should be available so that they can modify timings of their

agricultural operation irrigation of crops, fertilizer application, chemical sprays and harvesting of the produce accordingly

(Figure 3).\

Figure 3: Information on Weather Parameters in Study Area of Nadroga Province, Fiji

Perception of Agricultural Information Needs of Farmers in Nadroga Province, Fiji 13


Information on Market Availability

The results show that 87% of the respondents were agree that information should be available regarding the

availability of market for their produce so that they can timely sell their produce and losses may be minimized due to

weather aberration. Only 13 %disagree with the fact (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Information on Market Availability in Stu dy Area of Nadroga Province, Fiji

Information on Input Availability for Crop Producti on

The results show that 92% of the respondents were agree that information should be available regarding the

availability of input supply for crop production so that they can timely perform all the cultural practices. Only 8 % disagree

with the fact (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Information on Input Availability for Cro p Production in Study Area of Nadroga Province, Fiji

Respondents farmers 101(84.2%) from the study area were agree that radio is the best source information on

weather forecasting. They 119 (99%) listen to Agro-advisory services weather forecasting and all agreed that weather

forecasting is necessary for sustained crop production in Fiji. Respondents farmers 77 (64%) also agreed that rain is the

topmost weather feature on which Fijian agriculture is reliant on. They 104 (87%) also emphasized need of more

information on designing and constructing storm-resistant and protective structures e.g Constructing earth platforms to

raise homestead ground levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Out of 120 farmers 60.8 percent were female and 39.2 percent were male farmers and 83.3 percent were having

primary education. Out of 120 respondents 101(84.2%) respondents farmers were agree that radio is the best source

information on weather forecasting. About 119 (99%) farmer respondents listen to Agro-advisory services weather

forecasting and all agreed that weather forecasting is necessary for sustained crop production in Fiji. Respondents 77

(64%) also agreed that rain is the topmost weather feature on which Fijian agriculture is reliant on. 104 (87%) respondents

also emphasized need of more information on designing and constructing storm-resistant and protective structures e.g.



constructing earth platforms to raise homestead ground levels. This analysis has serious consequences for science, training,

education and extension needs in agro meteorology. The farmers required information on weather, warnings and forecasts,

soil management, credit availability, and farm management, besides awareness on improved seedlings, fertilizer and

insecticides. The information needs of farmers should, therefore, be more personalized along the favoring their needs.

There is need for the Government to scale up the use of in agricultural information system especially radio and TV which

are the most preferred and can help the researchers to disseminate and the farmers to access information. The farmer needs

information on production technology that involves cultivating, fertilizing, pest control, weeding and harvesting. This sort

of information is at the moment being diffused by extension workers, other farmers, government parastatals and

agricultural equipment dealers. The impact is yet to be felt.Efforts should be made to increase airtime for agricultural

programmes on radio and television; prevalent media reaching most remote areas. Likewise, the use of mobile phones is

extremely widespread in Fiji, a technology that can be harnessed for great benefit to the farmers. Agricultural information

could be spread at a massive scale should software be developed to support the farmers via mobile phones.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I sincerely thank Dean, College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (CAFF), Fiji National University for his

valuable support and providing opportunity to conduct this study.

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2. Env Eco - IJEEFUS - Perception of Agricultural Information Among Farmers in Nadroga Province Fiji _2