I am iTaukei born and bred – my upbringing was founded on the four pillars of ‘veiwekani’ [family and kinship], ‘lotu’ [religion], ‘vanua’ [land] and ‘matanitu’ [government]. Growing up, I’ve always been reminded of the importance of these pillars and my duty to my family, and in the areas represented by the pillars.

I’m very fortunate to be given the opportunity to do what I love whilst pursuing a higher degree and hopefully give back to my community. My thesis topic reflects my interest in agribusiness and my passion for improving livelihood in rural areas of Fiji.

• Agribusiness
• Rural Development
• Rural Livelihood in South Pacific
• Coconut

PhD in Agriculture (Agribusiness)
Project Title: Assessing the socioeconomic aspects of coconut agribusiness in rural areas in Fiji.

Supervisor: Dr Sonny Lameta, University of the South Pacific
Co-Supervisors: Dr Richard Beyer and Dr Salesh Kumar, Fiji National University

Twitter: @waraluisa
LinkedIn: Luisa Wara
ORCiD: 0000-0002-9617-0965