In the heart of Epau village, Hellen Joseph has proven that the soil holds the key to survival, stability, and success.

When she began farming in the early 2000s, it was a simple step planting Tahitian lime and later, white Fijian taro. But over time, her garden became more than just food on the table. It became her family’s foundation.

“As a farmer, you must be proactive,” Hellen says, her hands brushing over freshly harvested taro to sell at the Vanuatu Made Event. “Even when there’s a family event, we don’t need to spend money , we just go to our garden.”

Through dedication, she turned her crops into income that changed her family’s future. Farming has paid school fees for her four children, two boys and two girls, and even built the family a home. What many see as hard work, Hellen sees as hope.

She explains that farming offers two choices: vegetables, which bring quick returns, and root crops, which require patience but reward with lasting stability.

Her message for the next generation is simple but powerful: “Money is in the soil,” she stresses. “If our youth look to farming, they will find independence and stability.”

At the Vanuatu Made event, her stall is not just filled with taro, it’s filled with proof that the soil can build futures.