A 31-year-old farmer from Kadavu who experienced first-hand the challenges facing smallholder farmers, taught himself technology and built his own solution, is now preparing to represent Fiji and the Pacific at a global agriculture innovation competition in China.
Uraia Koroi Kama of Solodamu, Tavuki in Kadavu is the founder of Teivaka, an agriculture platform developed from his own experiences and the challenges he saw farmers facing.
Koroi Kama was studying for a science degree at the University of the South Pacific, majoring in mathematics and physics, when he decided to leave university and pursue his passion for farming, something he says he had loved since childhood.
After more than seven years as a farmer, Koroi Kama says he began questioning why people could spend their whole lives farming, but still struggle to grow their businesses or have little to show for decades of work.
He says farmers face challenges accessing knowledge, managing their farms, building connections and securing finance, while their years of farming experience are often not formally recognised when they approach institutions such as banks.
These challenges led him to develop Teivaka, an online platform designed to connect farmers with buyers, suppliers, agribusinesses, trainers, institutions and others involved in agriculture.
The platform also aims to help farmers manage their farms, access agricultural knowledge and build a record of their farming activities that could support their dealings with banks, buyers and other institutions.
However, Koroi Kama says turning his idea into a working platform was far from easy, as he had no technology background and had to teach himself from the basics.
He says the project was funded through income from his two pilot farms, together with support from his family and a few close friends.
At one stage, Koroi Kama says he considered giving up after spending thousands of dollars with little to show for it.
He says it took 262 versions and more than 2,000 hours of work to reach a working prototype, with much of the development done at night after spending the day working on the farm.
Koroi Kama says getting only four hours of sleep became normal as he balanced farming, family expenses and developing Teivaka.
His persistence eventually gained national recognition when Teivaka became one of the winners of the Agri Innovate competition in June.
The platform has now been selected as one of 13 finalists from 137 entries across 50 countries for a global agriculture innovation competition in China.
Koroi Kama says it took time for him to process that something developed on a small island in Kadavu would now compete on a global stage.
He says he is not going to China only for Teivaka, but to represent Fiji's farmers and the wider Pacific.
Koroi Kama says simply reaching the global stage is already a major opportunity, as it could put Teivaka in front of people who understand and invest in agricultural innovation.
He is also encouraging young Fijians with business ideas to start by identifying problems in areas they are passionate about and finding ways to solve them.
Koroi Kama says the journey will not be easy, but skills can be learnt if people are willing to ask questions, find answers and put in the work.
