The FAO Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Solutions Forum, co-organised with the Government of Fiji, supports the Pacific countries’ agrifood systems transformation.
UNSW Engineering Professors Daniel Robinson and Jayashree Arcot participated in the FAO Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Solutions Forum in Fiji on 5-8 November 2024.
Co-organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Government of Fiji, the event showcased potential solutions to transform how food is produced, distributed and consumed in the Pacific Islands region, to improve the health and wellbeing of local communities. Food production and nutrition challenges in the Pacific are complex, closely linked to climate and environmental pressures as well as socio-economic issues. Malnutrition and diet-related noncommunicable diseases are prevalent, and regional leaders are committed to enabling sustainable change.
UNSW Professors Robinson and Arcot contributed to a breakout session on day three of the event, focused on ‘Better Nutrition’. They were joined by representatives from Fiji National University, Unitech (Papua new Guinea) and RegenerativeVanua. The session explored several case studies in the region that have paved the way in identifying strategies to address issues through nutrition education, nutrient sensitive agriculture and recognition of valuable Indigenous knowledge regarding food production and consumption.
Professor Jayashree Arcot commenced the session by introducing the Honourable Vainetutai Rose Toki-Brown, Minister of Agriculture, Cook Islands, who provided an official opening. She commented on the urgent actions needed to address the nutritional issues in the Pacific—particularly in The Cook Islands—and spoke passionately about how to reverse non-communicable diseases by living off the land and the ocean. She also called on development partners to scale up flexible financial and technical support, equipment and resources to support countries in mobilising efforts to implement plans and key initiatives.
Professor Gade Waqa from FNU presented first, sharing a project she worked on in collaboration with UNSW and the George Institute of Global Health on ‘Evidence-based strategies for tackling chronic conditions through dietary changes in Fiji’. The researchers studied salt and sugar intakes, and the outcomes of this study are being deliberated at the national level to develop more robust policies and education around salt and sugar consumption.
UNSW’s Professor Daniel Robinson then shared his case studies on Indigenous Intellectual Property (IP), looking specifically at native plants including Kava, Tamanu/Dilo and Nangai/Canarium in the Pacific. He discussed biocultural protocols; the sharing of Indigenous knowledge to add value to marketing; understanding value chain inequities and access to benefit sharing agreements with industry. Other discussion points included labelling, certification, trademarks and geographical indications, other types of IP (e.g. patents), and challenges to IP.
Professor Robinson’s collaborator from Vanuatu, Ms. Kehana Andrew (RegenerativeVanua) then gave an insight into five key programs that are linked to the Regenerative Vanua Stewardship Framework. The programs discussed are helping to support the stewardship of Vanua (local homelands/communities) and create the conditions for Vanua to thrive. They are helping to foster the promotion of local foods for better diets and nutrition as well as for use in times of crisis; and to encourage agroecology, local food agroforestry and agro-tourism.
Dr. Lydia Yalambing from Unitech presented next, highlighting genomics as a means to achieving better nutrition. Her work looked at micronutrient-rich varieties of a popular green leafy vegetable consumed daily basis by the population. With approximately 44 per cent of women suffering from anaemia in Papua New Guinea, the study may help to address the prevalence of iron and folic acid deficiencies that lead to anaemia.
Finally, UNSW’s Professor Jayashree Arcot presented a case study on her project in Papua New Guinea. In the study, evidence was collected to show that anaemia was prevalent in 60 per cent of school-going children. Her findings demonstrated that this statistic could be improved by providing a micronutrient fortified wheat flour-based product to the students over a period of six months. The results will be conveyed to the Department of Health with the potential to develop a public health policy to mandate micronutrient fortification of wheat flour in the country to improve the status of the population.
Professor Arcot said, “The SIDS Solutions Forum was very productive for all in terms of sharing and learning how to better weave agriculture, food and health together for better food and nutrient security in the Pacific”.