Two piglets for a pre-loved kayak, a taxi fare in exchange for fresh produce, hot cross buns for online tutoring, an old carpet for a professional photography session, vegetable seedlings for homemade pies, and offers to have backyards cleaned for prayers.
These are just a few examples of the hundreds of barter trades that are taking place across Fiji since a Facebook page “Barter for Better Fiji” was created a few weeks ago in response to sharp falls in employment due to coronavirus. The page now has more than 100,000 members, in a country of just under 900,000 people.
“The primary reason for setting up the Facebook group was to help offer a solution to the current economic situation,” said Marlene Dutta, a business skill development consultant.
“For many people across the world and Fiji, money will be harder to come by and even harder to stretch out. The idea is to have an avenue where people get some things they need or want without spending money and that will help a lot and save their limited cash for bills, utilities, transport and other things that they need money for.”
The barter system is experiencing a resurgence across the Pacific with similar Facebook pages in Tonga – “Barter for Change” – two in Samoa “Barter for Better Samoa” and “Le Barter Samoa” with just over 1,000 members – and one in Vanuatu “Barter for Nambawan Life Vanuatu” – as the island nations are beginning to face economic difficulties due to Covid-19.
The Pacific region has largely been spared the Covid-19 outbreak. According to the the Pacific Community, as at the end of April, there had only be recorded cases in six Pacific countries and territories – Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam and New Caledonia – which between them have reported 260 cases and seven deaths.
However, most Pacific nations closed their borders due to coronavirus fears and are feeling the impact of the suspension of international travel. The IMF has forecast a 2.7% decline in growth for the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) with a 40% decline in tourism across the region.
In Fiji, more than 40,000 people – nearly 5% of the country – have lost their jobs, predominantly in the tourism industry, since the outbreak began. Tourism, particularly from Australia and New Zealand, makes up 34% of the country’s GDP. Whilst the Fijian government announced a stimulus package that allows affected workers to make a one-time withdrawal of between FJD500-1000 (AU$340 – $680) from their superannuation funds, many families are feeling the pinch.
Maca T Tabuya, a church pastor in Nadi, Fiji, has conducted her ninth barter trade to help families that are struggling due to the Covid-19 crisis.
“Initially I bartered out of interest, but I now barter to help other people as I noticed that there are many families that need groceries because they have lost their jobs and they don’t have much to trade. I offer them groceries for whatever they are able to trade because I would love to help them.”
She has also used the bartering system to obtain groceries for communities in Kadavu, in the south of the country, one of the areas that was hit by category-4 Tropical Cyclone Harold on 10 April, which left 6,240 people staying in 197 evacuation centres around the country.
“I even traded yard cleaning services by my boys for groceries that they will take back to the farm in Kadavu,” says Tabuya.
Vasiti Masi lost her job as a waitress due to coronavirus, but she has been able to use the Barter for Better Fiji page to keep her start-up flower business afloat, trading brownies and other baked goods for equipment for her business.
“I lost my job during Covid-19 and Barter for Better Fiji has helped me trade cakes for flowers and wreath bases to help with my business,” Vasiti said. “This page has given me hope to think about what I can do differently to keep my business alive, and I know that what I have to trade, other people need. So, it’s like a big community of sharing and I love it,” Vasiti added.
The Facebook page is a modern version of a centuries-old traditional practice, says Alisi Daurewa, an advocate and consultant for people-centred development.
“The forebears of the iTaukei [indigenous Fijians] practised veisa in various situations and was birthed out of the value for reciprocity. For example, the coastal people of Nadroga [in the Western part of Viti Levu, Fiji’s main island] could make salt, so they would take it up to their relatives up in the highlands of Nadroga/Navosa and those people, they have lovely wild pigs, the pork is tasty, so they would exchange salt from the sea, for wild pigs from the highlands,” she said .
• On 11 May 2020 this article was amended to correct the name of the Pacific Community.
