Vika Vataniyaragi Tadu Varuru, a 25-year-old contestant, is vying for the Miss Vodafone Festival of the Friendly North title with the goal of promoting food security in Fiji for sustainable livelihoods. Sponsored by the Northern Civil Service, Varuru, who works as a dietitian at the Labasa Health Centre, is competing among nine other queens at the festival taking place this week at Subrail Park in Labasa.
Originating from Nasinu Village in Cakaudrove and with maternal ties to Yavea in Vanuabalavu, Lau, Varuru is enthusiastic about using her platform to raise awareness. “As a dietitian, I’ve been engaging with schools and communities to conduct health talks, but addressing a crowd of thousands is a new challenge for me,” she stated.
She aims to highlight the issue of food insecurity, acknowledging that many people in Fiji, particularly those in the North, face difficulties in accessing safe, nutritious, and sufficient food. Varuru attributed this challenge to various factors, including diverse financial circumstances, lack of resources, fluctuating market prices, impacts of climate change on agriculture, and a reliance on imported foods, leading to a preference for quantity over quality.
“To achieve food security, it is essential to embrace sustainable agriculture, beginning with home gardens, cultivating our own food, and prioritizing locally produced food options,” she emphasized.
Varuru has a twin sister and a younger brother. Her mother teaches at Wairiki Kindergarten in Labasa, while her father is employed by the Water Authority of Fiji.