Women in Levukana Village on Vanuabalavu are stepping into the fields and sharing the plough with men as a local development programme overturns decades-old gender norms, organisers say. The Levukana Shall Rise initiative, run by the Levukana Women’s Association (LWA), has trained women in sustainable agriculture, financial literacy and land management, and turned subsistence labour into a source of income and decision-making power.
For generations in Lau Province, farming was regarded as men’s work, with women largely confined to household tasks or fishing. LWA, established more than 20 years ago as a community social group, has shifted that dynamic by equipping women with technical skills and legal knowledge about land and rights. Under the current programme women have cleared fallow land, revived traditional cropping methods and introduced new varieties — including bhindi (okra), grown in the village for the first time.
“Young women are seeing this is possible,” said 26-year-old Iliseva Joyce, whose husband is the village headman. “The programme opened our eyes. We can do men’s work and it’s also okay for men to help with cooking, laundry, and the things we used to do alone.” Joyce’s comment reflects a wider behavioural change: men in Levukana have begun assisting with domestic duties and joining women in planting and digging, organisers report.
Chief Uraia Tauyavu, 65, who attended trainings and workshops to show his support, described the change as collective progress. “Development is no longer one-sided, it now belongs to everyone,” he said, noting men’s increased participation at home and on farms. The programme has aimed to secure buy-in from male leaders to reduce resistance and legitimise women’s visible role in productive work.
Economic gains have been measurable. The association now generates between $100 and $200 a day from farm sales, with profits ploughed back into village development — a shift that organisers say has strengthened women’s influence in community decisions. The LWA also runs sessions on women’s rights and violence prevention alongside practical agricultural training, linking income generation to broader gender equality goals.
The transformation has resonance beyond Levukana. Women’s groups in Suva and Levukana have united under a single identity, organisers say, creating networks that amplify advocacy for gender-responsive policies at both village and tikina levels. The project is supported by Women’s Fund Fiji, whose communications officer, Losalini Bolatagici, highlighted the programme’s multi-pronged aims: “promoting women’s rights, supporting economic empowerment, building skills through training, raising awareness on living free from violence, and advocating for gender-responsive policies.”
For elders such as 75-year-old Kelera Ratu, the oldest LWA member, the reversal of earlier protectionist attitudes is striking. “In the past, we treasured women by keeping them away from hard work. Now we see their strength. When men and women work together, the whole village rises,” she said.
The Levukana experience illustrates how targeted training and community engagement can change labour divisions and strengthen women’s leadership in remote Pacific communities. With food security, livelihoods and social norms all affected, organisers say the programme offers a model for other Lau communities seeking to combine sustainable agriculture with gender equality.
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