Food security issues

AUNIVERSITY of the South Pacific survey that showed 26 per cent of households in Fiji survive without food for one or more days is a sobering reminder of the reality on the ground right now it seems.

It also stated 40 per cent were uncertain of their ability to obtain food. The USP carried out the survey on the impact of COVID-19 on nutritional and socio-economic status of selected communities in Fiji and the Solomon Islands.

It was conducted in 339 households which covered more than 63 per cent of homes in nine communities in the Central and Western divisions.

USP disaster risk management supervisor and co-coordinator Viliamu Iese shared the survey findings during a virtual discussion recently.

Despite the information that there were high production and consumption of local foods in Fiji, he said, there were households that were not producing and fed.

He said there was a need for a co-ordinated and systemic approach to address food and non-food needs at household levels.

This would include communities and local partners in planning and implementing COVID-19 responses to reduce its impact on nutrition and diet of households.

In July this year, the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said hunger remained deeply entrenched and was rising.

He launched this year’s major UN food security update and highlighted that over the past five years, tens of millions of people had joined the ranks of the chronically undernourished.

As progress in fighting hunger stalls, he said, the COVID-19 pandemic was intensifying the vulnerabilities and inadequacies of global food systems, making things even worse.

If the trend continued, he warned: “We will not achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2 – zero hunger - by 2030”.

The survey on our status is a reminder of how some

Fijians are faring, in the face of the pandemic.

We certainly are not immune to the negative impact of COVID-19.

The ideal scenario is to get out of this predicament as soon as possible.

The reality though is tougher to comprehend. Understandably solutions will differ in different countries.

There will be important questions focused on the food supply chain, our economy perhaps, policies and maybe governance issues.

We have an issue that must be dealt with urgently for affected families.

In the face of that overwhelming issue sits the pandemic and what we must do to maintain the status quo. That’s something we are able to control for starters.

Then we would look to the statement above, that there is a need for a co-ordinated and systemic approach to address food and non-food needs at household levels. We have a sobering reminder of what needs to be done.