Malnutrition in rural Solomon Islands: An analysis of the problem and its drivers

2020 The Authors. Maternal & Child Nutrition published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Solomon Islands, like many Pacific Island nations, suffer from the burden of malnutrition. External drivers including population growth, declining agriculture and fisheries productivity and global food trade have contributed to the transition to greater reliance on imported foods. Globally, diets are recognized as both a cause of and solution to the burden of malnutrition. Using a mixed-method approach this study assessed nutritional status and key determinants of malnutrition among women and young children in rural Solomon Island communities. Quantitative 24-hour recall surveys identified diets of women and young children in these communities to be very limited in diversity. Typical daily diets comprised of fish, sweet potato (and/or rice) and slippery cabbage (a leafy green) usually boiled in coconut milk or baked. Participatory research using problem tree and biocultural approaches identified basic determinants of poor diets and opportunities to address these challenges. We highlight three domains of opportunity to improve diets across multiple scales; 1) improve nutrition-sensitive agriculture and fisheries to produce and distribute diverse, productive and nutrient rich foods; 2) nutrition education and empowerment, focusing on the first 1000 days of life, to influence and inform choices regarding food consumption; and 3) reducing the consumption of imported, energy-rich nutrient poor foods through national and regional policies. These multi-scale domains highlight that food system approaches that strengthen integrated policy and empower people are essential for healthy and sustainable diets in Solomon Islands and more broadly in the Pacific region

Growing our future: Introducing the Pacific School Food Network to support healthy school food and nutrition environments for better nourished children in the Pacific Islands

Food systems in the Pacific Islands (P.I.) are transitioning from local, traditional diets to those with low fruit and vegetable intake and largely based on ultra-processed foods that are often, but not always, imported. Alongside changes in diet and health outcomes, there is a loss of traditional and sociocultural dimensions of food, resulting in poor quality diets in many P.I. populations, including children. Besides high rates of overweight and obesity, in some areas stunting rates are up to 48.4%,1 and prevalence of anaemia (5-14 years) as high as 45%.2 After many years of limited multisectoral action and effort to enact sustainable change across policy and practice, there is growing interest in improving school food and nutrition environments (SFE) in the region. Against this backdrop of limited capacity, coordination, effort, research and evidence, the Pacific School Food Network (PSFN) was formed

Assessing Diet Quality of Indigenous Food Systems in Three Geographically Distinct Solomon Islands Sites (Melanesia, Pacific Islands)

Indigenous Solomon Islanders, like many living in Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS), are currently experiencing the global syndemic—the combined threat of obesity, undernutrition, and climate change. This mixed-method study aimed to assess nutrition transitions and diet quality by comparing three geographically unique rural and urban indigenous Solomon Islands populations. Participants in rural areas sourced more energy from wild and cultivated foods; consumed a wider diversity of foods; were more likely to meet WHO recommendations of >400 g of non-starchy fruits and vegetables daily; were more physically active; and had significantly lower body fat, waist circumference, and body mass index (BMI) when compared to urban populations. Urban populations were found to have a reduced ability to self-cultivate agri-food products or collect wild foods, and therefore consumed more ultra-processed foods (classified as NOVA 4) and takeout foods, and overall had less diverse diets compared to rural populations. Clear opportunities to leverage traditional knowledge and improve the cultivation and consumption of underutilized species can assist in building more sustainable and resilient food systems while ensuring that indigenous knowledge and cultural preferences are respected

Systemic Capacity in Food System Governance in the Solomon Islands: “It’s More than Just Training”

Food security and malnutrition are leading health and development issues in the Pacific Island region. The food system scholarship points to the need for capacity building across multiple levels of governance to improve food system outcomes in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories. This paper aims to identify the strengths and weaknesses of systemic capacity in the food system governance of the Solomon Islands and identify opportunities for capacity building. A theoretically informed, empirical policy analysis was undertaken, informed by qualitative semistructured key informant interviews. Challenges related to capacity included slow information flows, inadequate human resourcing, and skill gaps at all levels of government. Opportunities for capacity building span workload, personal, performance, supervisory, role, systems, and structural capacities. These include the improvement of coordination between food system actors through the establishment of a multisectoral food system platform or agency, and increasing the involvement of vulnerable populations in policy planning and decision making. The current food system governance of the Solomon Islands shows important strengths in systemic capacity across multiple capacity types at national, provincial, and community levels. Our analysis provides insights for future capacity building efforts that build on these strengths to improve social, environmental, and economic outcomes

Catalysing sustainable development through regional food system governance: Strengthening the translation of regional food system policy guidance to national level in the Pacific

Recent food system shocks and increasing climate change exposures highlight the urgency of strengthening food systems at different scales, including global, regional and national, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This paper investigated opportunities to strengthen the translation of regional food system policy guidance to the national level in the Pacific Island region. We applied a theory-informed, empirical study design, based on interview data. We found that inadequate regional–national translation of food system policy guidance arises from (i) competing demands on limited resources, exacerbated by challenges of financing multisectoral initiatives; (ii) often weak regional–national dialogue; and (iii) perceived tension of economic, social and environmental priorities in dominant policy paradigms. These barriers may be addressed by establishing a regional food system governance structure and accountability mechanisms as well as a paradigm shift to balance focus between food system priorities. Current drives to implement National Food System Transformation Pathways may provide necessary impetus to realise these opportunities