Solomon Islands:Food security threatened by climate change and health risks associated with dietary change.
The Pacific Islands Forum meeting held in Tuvalu last week served to illustrate the plight of many communities in the smaller Pacific Islands countries, Solomon Islands included, now suffering from salt water intrusion, flooding and consequential crop losses arising from climate change.
In the Solomon Islands rural areas most food was produced in subsistence gardens but climate change has not only ruined some such gardens but increasingly contributed to a change in diet and increasing evidence of health issues such as obesity, diabetes and heart conditions.
The diet of the Solomon Islanders was always characterized by large amounts of carbohydrate-rich staples, such as sweet potato, cassava, rice and noodles, as well as a limited supply of animal-source foods; fresh marine fish and canned tuna being the most common animal-source foods.
Not only is the production of the traditional staple foods and vegetables in subsistence gardens affected by climate change but also by the increasing population (expected to exceed 700,000 when the results of the next Census is announced).
Population growth has, over the years, led to intensification of cropping and soil degradation.
Due to the combined factors of climate change and soil degradation, numerous Solomon Islanders have increased their daily consumption of less-nutritious carbohydrate-rich foods and this has led to a very high prevalence of adult overweight and obesity, as well as stunted children.
The loss of subsistence food gardens brought about by climate change is very worrying because many people in the rural parts of the Solomon Islands live in relative poverty and lack the income to buy nutrient-rich foods to meet their basic food needs.
The increase in obesity levels mean that a significant portion of the population is exposed to the cardiovascular disease risks associated with being overweight.
In the situation I have described, there needs to be a significant investment by the Solomon Islands government in preventative health measures, particularly those aimed at improving diet and reducing obesity, as well as promoting physical activity.
The effect of a successful public health intervention will help to reduce non-communicable diseases (NCD�s) in the long term.
It would be helpful to health gains if there was suitable legislation in place such as a sugar tax to stop, or curtail, the importation of sweet drinks and also measures to reduce salt intake and the amount of fat contained in imported, canned food products.
I illustrated last week the successful method of crop cultivation being practiced in Tuvalu with the help of agricultural extension officers from Taiwan and I will repeat the image from that article.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
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