Poasa Vaileba balances a day job in information technology with the hands-on work of running a 16-acre farm in Nadroga, a mix that he says helps keep his family afloat while letting him stay connected to his Kadavu roots. The 46-year-old, who has maternal links to Navosa and Nadroga, describes the dual routine as practical rather than romantic — a way to combine steady pay with the food security and savings that come from growing one’s own staples.
Vaileba, an IT technician by trade, cultivates dalo, tavioka and a variety of vegetables across his Nadroga property. He told a reporter at RB Patel Supermarket in Sigatoka that the produce from his land is an essential part of his household budgeting strategy and helps reduce reliance on purchased groceries. “I grow what I can to support my family,” he said, explaining that crops from the farm are intended first for home use and to stabilise weekly expenses.
The supermarket in Sigatoka has been part of Vaileba’s shopping routine for more than a decade. He described RB Patel as offering affordable products and “excellent customer service,” a combination that has kept him returning for everyday items he doesn’t produce at home. Speaking during an interview on-site, Vaileba urged other families to plan their spending carefully. “Shopping with a budget is always a good way to survive,” he said, stressing that a clear shopping list and priorities help stretch incomes.
Vaileba’s story highlights a practical approach to household finance in Fiji: combining the reliability of formal employment with subsistence and small-scale commercial agriculture. While he maintains an IT career that provides regular earnings, the farm offers both food and a buffer against rising day-to-day costs. He framed this as a conscious choice rather than a compromise, one that keeps his family fed and gives him control over some household expenses.
His ties to Kadavu and maternal links to Navosa and Nadroga also speak to the multi-island family networks common across Fiji, where people often work in one place while maintaining land and connections elsewhere. For Vaileba, those connections are more than sentimental: they are the basis of a working farm that contributes directly to family wellbeing.
As shoppers and families in the region confront fluctuating prices and competing demands on household budgets, Vaileba’s approach — steady employment, on-farm production and disciplined shopping — offers a clear example of how mixed livelihoods can function in practice. His decade-long patronage of a local supermarket underlines the continued role of trusted retail outlets in supporting those household strategies.