Fiji’S Soil Conservation
pp. 154-155 · Read in the full issue
Experts
Making Some Progress
BATTLING against soil erosion in Fiji, the Agriculture De partment’s soil conservation officers in the last four years have terraced about 1,000 acres in the Nadi-Sabeto Basin of Viti Levi: and “by field propaganda and in struction have made the farmers of the area aware of the dangers of erosion and have led them tc appreciate the value of the con servation measures applied to the land.”
This was stated at the first meeting of the Land Conservation Board, set up last year, which is now setting out to cope with the problems involved on a substantial scale.
Soil erosion in Fiji is cause© mainly by two factors —bad farming and the “mining” of the soil anc the destruction of forest ano other natural cover in the high country. When the present Gover nor (Sir Ronald Garvey) arrivec in 1952, he was shocked at the ex tent of erosion in Viti Levu ano warned that the denudation o: watershed areas was the first stej to the loss of vital water supplies To help the new board, soil con servation committees are to b< set up in three areas—Nadi-Sabeta Macuata Province in Vanua Lew and the Suva-Nasinu-Colo-i-Suvr triangle in the south-eastern corner of Viti Levu. With landi owners or occupiers in a majority the committees will advise tin. board on conservation questionj within their respective areas collaborate with the conservation staff and support the staff’;' educational campaigns.
Most small farmers will either a loan or time in which t« repay the cost of conservation wort done on their properties, and thi board is to take up this point witK the Government.
The Conservator of Forests tolt the board that great havoc ha/ been and is being done by‘ riven bank erosion throughout Fiji. I was decided to ask the Governmenr to consider the appointment of ar overseas expert to visit the Colon;/ and advise on the control of river erosion. At the same time ;it was agreed that riverbank erosion waf a symptom and that the basic cun was proper land-use to reduce ex:cessive run-off from the water': sheds. It is possible that a Com servation Order will be issuer covering the cultivation of rives and stream banks within certaii distances from the water’s edge.
Indiscriminate grass-fires and thr protection of watersheds by thr maintenance or establishment oo forests and the prevention of oven grazing also came into the diss
ission. Two full-time fire rangers e to be appointed to work with .e police in western Viti Levu.
There are already signs that the jriculture Department is making eful headway against the ig >rance and prejudice which used Indian farmers to plough out ntour lines as soon as official monstration parties were out of e way, but the erosion problem ,s become too big to be dealt with scemeal. A flight round the coast south-eastern Viti Levu, after avy rain, will indicate how r much od soil is constantly going out sea.