BY CHRIS ALEX
This week, Vois Blong Mere Solomon (VBMS) proudly launched a powerful new campaign titled “Hands That Plant, Holds the Power”, that aims to advocate for fair and dignified treatment of local farmers especially women within the Honiara Central Market system.
The campaign seeks to bring long-overdue recognition to the vital role women farmers play in feeding communities, sustaining livelihoods, and supporting the local economy. With this initiative, VBMS is pushing for systemic change that empowers farmers, influences market policies, and creates a fairer, safer environment for those who produce our food.
This campaign’s focus is on the following components;
-Advocate for fair market access for local farmers, with a strong focus on women.
-Raise public awareness about the struggles faced by farmers, from unfair fees to lack of market space and mistreatment.
-Influence Honiara City Council (HCC) market policies to prioritize farmers’ rights and dignity.
VBMS Director, Nerol Vaekesa voiced that farmers must be guaranteed a permanent and protected space within the Central Market where they can sell their produce directly, without interference from middlemen or resellers.
“This is crucial to ensure they are not pushed out or marginalized by black-market vendors”, she said.
VBMS is calling for a more reasonable and humane process, allowing farmers to set up their goods before being charged and only after a fair market price has been established.
This would prevent them from being forced to pay high fees upfront, only to walk away with little to no profit.
VBMS urges HCC and market authorities to establish and enforce transparent, fair, and gender-sensitive market policies. These should include:
-Standardized fee structures based on space, not produce type.
-Protections against harassment, verbal abuse, and produce theft.
-Support services such as access to water, sanitation, and shelter at affordable rates.
-Clear grievance procedures for reporting market abuse or misconduct.
Vaekesa pointed out that women farmers are the backbone of our food systems yet too often they are overlooked, underpaid, and pushed aside.
“This campaign is about shifting power back to the hands that plant and ensuring their labour is met with respect, fairness, and protection,” she said.
VBMS is calling on community members, local leaders, policymakers, and market authorities to stand with farmers and support the campaign’s goals.
Vaekesa furthered that the future of our markets, our food, and our economy depends on how we treat those who grow it.
“Let’s amplify their voices. Let’s reform our markets. Let’s ensure that the hands that plant truly hold the power”, she said.
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