Feeding our Mana: Food security for Pasifika communities

Being able to feed yourself and your family with food that is of sufficient quantity and quality for a healthy and active life is a fundamental human right. In countries such as Australia, where the quantity of food produced is enough for three times the population, household food insecurity (HFI) should not be a concern. However, in some areas and communities, one in four households are potentially going without food and Pasifika families are at greater risk due to the impact of the Trans-Tasman Agreement1. HFI has serious implications for health with increased healthcare use, risk of chronic conditions including mental health issues, as well as developmental and behavioural implications for children 2-4. As the primary nutrition gatekeepers’ women are most vulnerable. This research used community-based participatory action research and Pacific indigenous methods, talanoa5, to build an understanding of food security and its determinants within a collective cultural context for Pasifika families living in Queensland. Eight community co-researchers interviewed 40 elders and youth leaders of 15 Pacific Island communities in Queensland. The preliminary themes that have emerged identify: the centrality of food to Pacific identity (reciprocity, hospitality and spirituality); the inability to provide food undermines social connections and wellbeing; that churches have a significant role to play in ensuring food security but can also undermine it; and social determinants such as low incomes, lack of a welfare safety net, overcrowding and sending remittances to the Islands affect the ability of families to put food on the table. Solutions to food insecurity for Pasifika families will need to engage women as the primary food preparers and keepers of food knowledge. Solutions will need to be co-designed with communities and range from high level actions that impact the social determinants as well as practical solutions that utilise current social networks to produce and distribute affordable food. 1. Tazreiter C, Weber L, Pickering S, et al. Samoan-Born New Zealanders as Trans-Tasman Denizens. Fluid Security in the Asia Pacific. Springer, 2016, pp.77-102.2. Ramsey, R., et al., Food insecurity among adults residing in disadvantaged urban areas: potential health and dietary consequences. Public Health Nutrition, 2012. 15(2): p. 227-237.3. Nolan, M., et al., Food insecurity in three socially disadvantaged localities in Sydney, Australia. Health Promotion Journal of Australia, 2006. 17: p. 247-254.4. Becerra, B.J., et al., Peer Reviewed: Association Between Food Insecurity and Serious Psychological Distress Among Hispanic Adults Living in Poverty. Preventing chronic disease, 2015. 12.5. Vaioleti, T.M., Talanoa research methodology: a developing position on Pacific research. Waikato Journal of Education 2006. 12: p. 21-34.