MDF Fiji is thrilled to support Ra Honey in launching a new initiative to empower small-scale beekeepers in rural Fiji. Fiji’s wildflower honey holds strong export potential, yet most local producers remain small-scale, and they practise beekeeping as a hobby.
They face challenges such as limited market access, high startup costs, and the spread of pests and diseases like American Foulbrood and Varroa Mites.
Through this partnership, MDF has collaborated with Ra Honey to trial community sourcing of quality honey.
Recently, technical training was delivered to five new beekeeping communities in Ra Province.
The first training session involved 20 trainers of trainers, and this is just the beginning.
This initiative is about more than just honey. It’s focused on creating income, building resilient rural livelihoods, and empowering Indigenous and marginalised communities—especially women.
Let’s hope that some lessons have been learned from past “community sourcing of quality honey” projects by government and NGOs. Extremely high failure rates, where hundreds of villages received hives, bees, equipment and a bit of training. Almost none were successful. Hard to believe that ACIAR would endorse this approach when other approaches have proven more successful.
John Caldeira