Fiji is often sold to the world as a tropical paradise - white sand, turquoise lagoons, and abundant coconuts. But behind that postcard image, many Fijian households are wrestling with a quieter crisis: the rising cost of food, fragile supply chains, and a food system that leans heavily on imports, including fresh produce flown in commercially from Australia and New Zealand.
For families on tight budgets, that model is increasingly unsustainable. The core question is simple: how can Fiji reliably feed its own people with nutritious, affordable food in a warming, storm-prone Pacific?
Fiji does produce food. Root crops, vegetables, fruits, livestock and fish remain central to rural livelihoods. But the country also imports a large share of what people eat - especially wheat, packaged foods and a growing array of processed items. In 2019 Fiji imported about FJD 94.6 million of wheat; by 2021 that import bill had climbed to FJD 108 million.
Fresh fruit imports alone are estimated at around FJD 21.4 million a year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, which has warned about the health and economic implications of this dependence. Much of the higher-end fresh produce on supermarket shelves - certain fruits, vegetables, dairy and meat - comes from Australia and New Zealand, often arriving on the same commercial flights that bring tourists and export Fiji’s own products in the other direction. (That air link is a two-way street: Fiji is also emerging as a significant exporter of tropical produce into New Zealand’s NZ$2.7 billion fresh produce market.
When global supply chains were disrupted during COVID-19, those vulnerabilities became glaring. One study of Fijian food prices during the pandemic noted that while overall inflation fell, food prices kept rising - at one point fresh produce prices roughly doubled for many common items. In 2022, food inflation averaged about 6%, largely driven by higher prices for imported food products linked to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
For low-income households, that means hard choices: less fresh fruit and vegetables, more cheap instant noodles, sugar, and refined starches—fueling the epidemic of diet-related non-communicable diseases already widespread across the Pacific.
Fiji’s agriculture is highly climate-sensitive. Most farms are small and largely subsistence-oriented; around 65% of farmers cultivate one hectare or less. These households rely on rainfall, healthy soils and relatively predictable seasons. All three are now under stress.
Research and national reports point to growing risks from droughts, intense floods and more frequent extreme weather events. Cyclones like Yasa and Ana damaged crops and infrastructure, reducing supply and pushing up prices in markets. Farmers also grapple with soil degradation, pests and diseases, and saltwater intrusion on low-lying land.
For a smallholder trying to grow vegetables or fruit for sale, this translates into:
All of that makes it hard for younger people to see farming as a viable future, even though agriculture remains central to Fiji’s food security and rural livelihoods.
The government is very aware that food security sits at the intersection of climate resilience, health and economic development. Over the last decade it has launched several major policy frameworks:
On the ground, the Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways is expanding initiatives like the School Gardening Program to strengthen food and nutrition security and teach young people to grow food. The government is also working to cut the fresh fruit import bill by at least 50% by focusing on expanding local production of high-potential fruit crops.
These are solid steps - but transforming the food system also requires new, locally adapted farming models that can thrive in climate-stressed conditions and make healthy food more affordable.
Increasing Fiji’s domestic production of vegetables, fruits and other nutritious foods is vital for several reasons:
To make that happen at scale, farmers and communities need tools to grow more food per square metre with less water and fewer imported inputs. That’s were Feed An Island and Crop Circle Farms and Gardens can become valuable partners.
Feed An Island and Crop Circle Farms specialise in compact, circular farm and garden systems designed for islands. Their approach meshes well with Fiji’s policy priorities and practical realities.
1. High-yield micro-farms for tight spaces
Crop Circle systems use spiral or circular layouts to maximise planting area within a small footprint. Different crop layers—tall plants, mid-height crops, groundcovers and herbs are carefully arranged to make efficient use of light, space and nutrients.
In Fiji, this could be deployed as:
This kind of high-density production can significantly increase the availability of vegetables and herbs without requiring large new land areas.
2. Water-smart, climate-resilient design
Crop Circle farms can be configured with:
These techniques align closely with Fiji’s National Adaptation Plan emphasis on soil and water management, conservation agriculture and diversified systems.
3. Farm-in-a-box kits and demonstration hubs
Feed An Island can package Crop Circle designs into modular kits that include layouts, instructions, key hardware and recommended crop mixes tailored to Fijian conditions.
Potential partnership pathways include:
4. Integrating with Fiji’s food system vision
Because Fiji is already positioning itself as a regional producer - exporting pineapples, ginger and other produce to Australia, New Zealand and the wider Pacific - Crop Circle systems can serve dual goals:
Feed An Island can work with government and local partners to design projects that fit within existing policies and access climate and agriculture finance, rather than sitting off to the side as a standalone experiment.
Right now, much of the fresh produce that fills Fiji’s higher-end supermarket shelves comes in on planes and ships from Australia and New Zealand - expensive, carbon-intensive and vulnerable to disruption. At the same time, Fijian farmers have the land, knowledge and potential to supply far more of the country’s vegetables, fruits and herbs themselves.
Government strategies, regional partnerships and community initiatives are already pushing in the right direction. By adding Crop Circle Farms and Gardens to the toolkit—through a focused partnership with Feed An Island - Fiji can accelerate that shift, turning under-used plots into green, productive circles of resilience.
If that vision is realised, the story of food in Fiji could look very different: less reliance on imported fresh produce, more healthy local food on the table, and a stronger, climate-smart agriculture sector that feeds not only tourists and export markets, but Fijian families first.