Revitalising rural development in the Pacific: An itaukei (indigenous Fijian) approach
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Date
2019-11-01
DOI
Open Access Location
Authors
Scheyvens R
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Volume Title
Publisher
Development Studies Network at the Crawford School of Public Policy in the College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University
Rights
This issue of Development Bulletin, together with 56 previous issues, is available for free download and can be freely copied and used on condition that the source is acknowledged.
Abstract
Indigenous groups who live on and work with customary
land and resources occupy many rural settings in the
Pacific. In Fiji, as life has become dominated by economic
demands, many itaukei (indigenous Fijian) communities
have struggled to see how bula vakavanua (tradition,
culture and the way of being)—such as solesolevaki, or
unpaid communal work for collective good—can aid in
sustainable development of their resources for their
people’s benefit. This struggle, along with a lack of
opportunities in rural settings, has given rise to rural-urban migration and increased related social problems.
This paper aims to demonstrate that indigenous driven, effective rural development is possible in the
Pacific despite these challenges. Case studies of successful itaukei businesses based on customary land in Fiji—and how solesolevaki has been revived to support itaukei entrepreneurial success and community wellbeing—were conducted and analysed.
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Citation
Development Bulletin, 2019, November 2019, 81 pp. 62 - 66