Increasing demand for native plants in Fiji's ornamental horticulture sector

Village based nursery enterprises in Fiji provide a unique opportunity to supply native plants for landscaping and landscape restoration projects. Ornamental horticulture contributes to the income of around 1,000 households in the Fiji Islands which has a population of only 800,000. The majority of the stakeholders in the industry are smallholders with a high percentage of women, thus ornamental horticulture plays an important part in improving livelihoods. The ornamental horticulture industry is predominantly based on the production of exotic flowering plants and palms to service the tourist and non-tourist domestic markets. Fiji has a wealth of native (endemic and naturalised) plant species that provide a unique opportunity to develop and promote native vegetation in resort and urban streetscape projects. In recent years, there has been increasing interest from design professionals in the use of indigenous trees, shrubs and groundcovers, to achieve both aesthetic and environmental objectives. Lack of plant supply has been a major stumbling block to implementing these concepts. Native seed and plant material exist primarily in rural village communities with intact forests and coast lines and therefore these rural communities have an integral role to play in the supply chain. This opportunity holds both economic and environmental benefits for rural communities and the country as a whole. Koko Siga, in partnership with stakeholders in the ornamental horticulture industry and through funding from the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research has embarked on an initiative to develop Fiji’s native plants through applied research and enterprise development. Over 50 target native species have been identified and trialed to determine a package of best practices for mass propagation, plant establishment and management. Collaboration with village communities for information collection, plant surveying, collecting and propagating has seen a renewed interest in native plants, particularly among the youth. Native plants have been used in a variety of demonstration sites to showcase a multiplicity of uses, and in turn, assist in increasing demand. Demonstration sites have included: town centers, eco tourism retreats, eroded riverbanks and village-based schools.