Koroi Kama, the founder of Teivaka, has returned to Fiji after competing as one of 13 finalists selected from 137 entries across 50 countries in the Global Agri Innovate Competition in China.
He says the experience became much more than a competition, giving him an opportunity to receive training, meet global experts and learn from other agriculture innovators.
One of his biggest lessons came from feedback from the judges.
Koroi Kama says they recognised the importance of the problem Teivaka is trying to address, particularly for smallholder farmers and food security.
However, he says the judges also made it clear that the competition was largely aimed at innovations that were already commercially established in their home countries and ready to expand globally.
For Koroi Kama, the message was clear, Teivaka needs to prove itself in Fiji first.
He says the focus now is on attracting more farmers, strengthening the technology, building partnerships and demonstrating that the platform can make a meaningful difference to Fiji's agriculture sector before looking further abroad.
But one of the most memorable moments of his journey came just hours before he took the stage in China.
Koroi Kama says while practising his pitch, it suddenly hit him that a farmer from Kadavu was about to stand alongside some of the brightest agricultural innovators from around the world and represent Fiji.
He says some of the people he met had never heard of Fiji, but the experience reminded him that coming from a small country does not mean Fiji has small problems or small ideas.
For Koroi Kama, he was not only taking Teivaka onto the global stage but also representing Fiji and the farmers whose struggles inspired him to develop the platform.
Another major lesson from China was seeing how agriculture can be driven by market demand.
Koroi Kama says many farmers in Fiji grow their produce first and only begin looking for buyers after harvesting, putting them at risk of being unable to sell what they have produced.
He believes farmers could be in a stronger position if they knew beforehand what supermarkets, restaurants, exporters and other buyers needed and could plan their production around that demand.
Koroi Kama wants Teivaka to help bridge that gap by connecting farmers with buyers and other parts of the agriculture sector.
The trip has also opened new connections for Teivaka through relationships with other innovators and experts, with the platform now part of the Global Agri Innovate Competition Alumni.
Teivaka itself grew from Koroi Kama's more than seven years of experience in farming and seeing farmers struggle with access to markets, information, finance and connections.
Despite having no technology background, he taught himself the skills needed to develop the platform, working through 262 versions and more than 2,000 hours to reach a working prototype.
Now back in Fiji, Koroi Kama says the real work begins.
Teivaka is building its local community as the platform prepares for its next stage of development, with more information available through its website, teivaka.com.
Koroi Kama says taking Teivaka to China was a proud achievement, but seeing a farmer in Fiji use the platform to find a market, improve their farming or access an opportunity they previously could not would mean more to him than any competition prize.
