The Solomon Islands are made up of about 1,000 islands spread over a vast expanse of the western Pacific Ocean. Like other Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the country is particularly vulnerable to external shocks and environmental crises due to its small size, remote location and limited resources. This became especially apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic, when 60 per cent of households reported running out of food.

It wasn’t always this way. Traditional food systems in the archipelago were once characterized by the trade and exchange of diverse foods grown in gardens or caught from the bountiful sea. It is only in recent decades that people have become dependent on imported foods, like refined rice, which are cheaper and less perishable but have seriously damaged local nutrition and agrobiodiversity.

Bringing back that traditional dietary diversity is crucial to building resilience and ensuring Solomon Islanders can always access enough nutritious food, even in times of crisis.