From a very young age, farmer and agroforestry advocate, Joeli Savou, 33, was taught great wonders about the land.
He was raised to believe people were not just owners of the land but were an intrinsic part of it and that the soil beneath their feet was a living library of their forefathers.
“I was raised with the understanding that the land is not just a resource, it is identity, inheritance, spirituality and our responsibility” Mr Savou said.
Mr Savou currently manages Tabua Farms, an integrated agroforestry system rooted in the philosophies of self-sustenance, first, and profit, second.
He works at the crossroads of indigenous knowledge and modern agricultural science, exploring the possibilities of how two worlds could collide and compliment each other: to strengthen the nations food supply chain, the restoration of degraded landscapes, and the empowerment of farmers both culturally and economically.
Growing up Mr Savou would accompany his late grandfather around the garden; and was fascinated by the knowledge of how a grain of seed could sustain the future.
Similarly, he witnessed the struggles farmers went through and the gradual loss of traditional knowledge in farming as a result of modern pressure, urban drift and changing values.
“I saw that agriculture could be more than a livelihood, it could be a platform to restore dignity, sovereignty, and resilience to our communities,
Mr Savou holds a master’s degree in horticulture, focusing on improving indigenous agricultural learning through practical, land-based training at Massey University of New Zealand.
Mr Savou said his passion for farming wasn’t based on the number of degrees under his belt, but a deep understanding of how indigenous Fijians learned and cultivated the land.
His master’s research thesis dove deep into the importance of hands-on and experiential learning; and how it refined farmers productivity and confidence.
His transition from the lecture theatre to the field came from a realization that ‘theory must meet the soil’.
“If I wanted to influence agriculture in Fiji, I needed to understand farming, not just from my office academically, but through my hands, season, failures and harvest,” Mr Savou said.
He added that farming was one of the most powerful tools for helping people become self-reliant and reconnect with the ‘vanua’ and its ‘mana’.
Before his first harvest, he endured soil depletion caused past land misuse, pests and diseases that affected crops, and climate change impacts.
However, his masters’ degree was put into good use.
Mr Savou focused on agroforestry-based soil regeneration (introducing crop diversity such as sweet potatoes, legumes, assorted vegetables, pineapples, avocado, breadfruit and kumquat), moon-phase planting, water-management and better planning; at the same time strengthening community cooperation and knowledge-sharing and slowly tapping into value-added processing, and not just raw crop sale.
Mr Savou, said that being a farmer has taught him patience – that the land teaches in seasons, not in shortcuts
“Humility and nature cannot be rushed or controlled; discipline, farming rewards consistency, not convenience; lastly, leadership, farmers look for examples, not speeches,
Mr Savou reiterated that “integrated agroforestry” has a direct link to traditional knowledge in agriculture.
Furthermore, it builds resilient soil and reduces the dependency on fertilizers, pushing towards organic farming.
Mr Savou is nursing a plan to evolve from the farms to market/export-ready value chains.
“The expansion ensures that farmers earn more and communities grow stronger,” he said.
“We aim to develop partnership with local supermarkets, exporters, and international buyers, and likewise processing facilities for value addition,
Mr Savou’s goal is to establish Tabua Farms as the nation’s model farm for agroforestry, develop a farmers training and mentorship program, and strengthen food security system rooted in indigenous wisdom.
“Vanua (land, identity and responsibility), service (community before profit), discipline and consistency (success is seasonal, earned and patient), faith and humility (acknowledging that God and nature guide growth), respect for elders and indigenous knowledge and resilience (not giving up when seasons are difficult).”
“These virtues are not just personal, they are cultural anchors that remind me that farming is more than business; it is the continuation of a lineage and a promise to future generations,” Mr Savou said.
