Arabfields, Farah Benali, Economic Correspondent, China — Fiji is expanding efforts to strengthen agricultural skills and improve rural livelihoods through Juncao technology, a Chinese-developed system that uses specially cultivated grasses for livestock feed, mushroom production and other agricultural applications.
The latest initiative brought Chinese agricultural experts to the Navuso Agricultural Technical Institute near Suva, where local students and farm workers received practical instruction in cultivating and processing Juncao plants. The training reflects a broader cooperation programme that has been operating in Fiji since 2014.
Figures released in October show that the China-Fiji Juncao Technology Demonstration Center has organised 67 training sessions and trained more than 2,900 local technicians. The programme has also supported cultivation across more than 2,500 hectares of land and helped over 3,500 households achieve sustained income growth.
For farmers, the technology offers a potential way to improve access to animal feed while making productive use of agricultural land. At the Navuso institute, workers demonstrated the use of machinery imported from China to harvest and shred the plants for livestock consumption. Such practical applications could help local producers reduce pressure on conventional feed supplies, although the scale of any savings will depend on production costs, yields and local farming conditions.
The programme has completed three phases of technical assistance since its launch. Its accumulated results suggest that agricultural training and the transfer of practical skills are becoming important elements of Fiji’s cooperation with China.
For students and farm workers, the benefits could extend beyond the immediate cultivation of Juncao. Familiarity with harvesting equipment, crop management and feed preparation may improve their employment prospects and give small-scale producers additional options for diversifying their operations.
The next stage of development is likely to depend on whether farmers can maintain cultivation costs at affordable levels and establish reliable markets for products derived from the technology. Access to suitable machinery, technical support and consistent supplies of planting material will also influence adoption.
If the programme continues to expand at a pace comparable to its historical reach, more farming communities could benefit from technical training and additional land could be brought under cultivation. However, the available figures do not establish a formal growth target, and any projections remain conditional on future funding, demand and agricultural performance.
Climate resilience may provide another incentive for Fiji to explore alternative approaches to livestock feeding and land management. As an island nation exposed to weather-related risks, the country has reason to examine agricultural methods that could strengthen the reliability of rural production. The effectiveness of Juncao in addressing these challenges will depend on local trials and careful management.
The initiative also illustrates how agricultural cooperation can move beyond equipment transfers towards the development of local expertise. With thousands of technicians already trained and thousands of households reporting sustained income growth, the programme has established a foundation for further expansion.
The longer-term test will be whether those gains translate into durable improvements in farm productivity, household earnings and food-system resilience across Fiji.
