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Dr Viliami PULOKA Secretariat of the Pacific Community
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FOOD SECURITYFood Security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their needs for a healthy life. Food insecurity exists when people are undernourished due to the physical unavailability of food, their lack of social or economic access, and/or inadequate food utilisation. Are we food secure in the Pacific?While we see relatively few cases of outright starvation, we do see high rates of anaemia, Vitamin A and other micronutrient deficiencies. At the same time we see increasing rates of non-communicable diseases (diseases of over-nutrition). We see many cases of food-borne illness (food poisoning) related to poor food practices. We now see a situation where most urban populations are reliant on imported foods. Diets reflect both food availability and consumer preferences. These preferences mostly favour imported foods. As our populations move from rural areas to urban centres (urban populations are increasing, with around 24% now living in urban areas), ability to grow food for themselves is diminished and they become increasingly reliant on imported foods. The population of the Pacific is also increasing at about 2.2% per year, which puts further strain on local food production capacity. The increasing role of the world market has opened up the Pacific to exports from all over the world, many of which are of poor quality and nutritional value. Often the price of these foods is cheaper than local foods. Any problem that affects shipping or the world market prices will also affect our food supply. Internationally there has been considerable progress in reducing hunger and malnutrition, however millions are still suffering. Many strategies are needed to address this serious issue, one of which is education.
Feeding Minds, Fighting Hunger' is an international project developed by the FAO, as a starting point for teachers to introduce the topic of hunger in the world to their students. Three outline lesson plans have been developed for each type of school (primary, intermediate and secondary). Each lesson plan includes activities, outline and background information for the teacher. The resources are aimed at an international audience, and of course can be adapted by each teacher/country to meet their more specific needs. More information can be found at their website:
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