Twenty women farmers were honoured at the inaugural National Women in Agriculture Awards in 2026, a ceremony organisers said marks the first time such recognition has been held at a national level in Fiji. The awards night, held as part of a three-day symposium on improving market access for women in agriculture, crowned Katarina Baleisuva as Tilapia Farmer and overall Woman Farmer of the Year, while Jasnita Ali took the Beekeeping Farmer of the Year title.
Minister for Women Sashi Kiran framed the awards as part of a wider economic strategy rather than charitable recognition. “By recognizing farmers tonight, we are reinforcing the national commitment to close gender gaps in agriculture, not as a charity, but as an economic strategy. Because empowering women farmers is not only a social issue, it is a productivity issue,” she said, underlining the government’s intention to elevate the role of women as active contributors to national food security and growth.
Baleisuva, who emerged as the evening’s top winner, said the accolade reflected the sustained effort she has invested in her farming enterprise. “This recognition reflects the hard work I have put into farming,” she said. Ali, the beekeeping award winner, acknowledged the pressures of juggling multiple responsibilities: balancing family life and studies alongside running an agricultural enterprise can be “challenging but rewarding,” she said.
Organisers positioned the awards within the broader symposium that ran concurrently, which focused on measures to strengthen women’s access to markets. The three-day event brought together women producers, buyers, and stakeholders to discuss barriers to market entry and practical steps to improve linkages between smallholder enterprises and commercial outlets. The awards are intended to raise profiles, highlight successful business models and inspire greater investment in women-led farming enterprises.
The national awards also dovetail with recent moves to bolster Fiji’s agricultural value chains. Earlier this year, international and government-backed initiatives emphasised sustainable transformation and improved market access in the region; organisers and some officials say the awards complement such efforts by showcasing the skills and enterprises of women farmers who stand to benefit from better market connections, training and financing.
By recognising farmers across sectors from tilapia production to beekeeping, the awards highlighted the diversity of women’s contributions to Fiji’s agri-food system. Officials say making the awards national for the first time signals intent to make women’s agricultural achievements more visible and to integrate gender-responsive approaches into broader agricultural policy and programming. The symposium’s organisers indicated the awards are planned to become an annual fixture as part of a sustained push to narrow gender gaps and strengthen the commercial prospects of women farmers.
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