The impacts of unsustainable land use in the agriculture and forestry sector topped the list of discussions during the Land Care Preparedness and Long Term Planning Workshop.
While addressing the participants of the weeklong workshop, Assistant Minister for Agriculture, Viam Pillay says partnership between relevant stakeholders should be strengthened for the sustainable management of land resources in the country.
“Land care approach is conducive to Fiji’s social structure where communities could work together in an integrated way to minimize land degradation but it needs a very strong and focused Government support to strengthen this approach.”
Pillay says unsustainable land use includes the expansion of commercial cropping and forestry into marginal lands, the deforestation through uncontrolled logging and burning of grassland.
He adds these land degradation, lower crop and pasture yields, increase food insecurity and rural poverty.
The workshop involved the Agriculture ministry, the I-Taukei Affairs Board with the attendance of conservation officers, middle level decision makers and land administrators.
