Atoll Nation of Tuvalu Adopts ‘Cubes’ to Step Up Nutritious Food Production
Tuvalu’s farmers have watched their crops destroyed by extreme tropical weather. They are now using Funafala 'food cubes' to have greater control over their harvests. By Catherine WilsonCANBERRA, Australia , Oct 13 2021 (IPS) Tuvalu, a small atoll island nation in the Central Pacific Ocean, is one of few countries in the world to have so far evaded the pandemic. But, while it has achieved a milestone with no recorded cases of COVID-19, its population of about 11,931 continues to battle food uncertainties and poor nutrition. These challenges, present long before the pandemic emerged, have been exacerbated by lockdown restrictions and economic hardships during the past year and a half.
In the low-lying island country, people have strived to grow food with “lack of access to land, lack of compost for growing food and, more so, with high tides and cyclones flooding the land with seawater,” Teuleala Manuella-Morris, Country Manager for the environmental and development organization, Live & Learn, in the capital, Funafuti, told IPS.
For years the islanders have watched their food gardens destroyed by extreme tropical weather and disasters, such as cyclones and tidal surges. These factors have contributed to their increasing consumption of imported foods. But now, the future is looking more certain with the introduction of an innovative farming system on Funafala, an islet situated close to the main Funafuti Island.
The new farming method is based on a modular structure ...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Catherine Wilson Tags: Asia-Pacific Climate Action Climate Change COVID-19 Development & Aid Environment Featured Food and Agriculture Green Economy Headlines Humanitarian Emergencies Pacific Community Climate Wire TerraViva United Nations #ClimateActi Source Type: news
More News: Australia Health | Bananas | Child Development | Children | COVID-19 | Diabetes | Diets | Economy | Education | Emergency Medicine | Endocrinology | Environmental Health | Fiji Health | Fruit | Government | International Medicine & Public Health | Learning | Micronesia Health | Nutrition | Obesity | Pandemics | Reproduction Medicine | Tuvalu Health | United Nations | Universities & Medical Training | Vegetables | WHO | Women