Pacific Community Gardening Project Sows Seeds Of Good Health

A Christchurch programme is getting Pacific children excited about healthy eating by helping them and their families grow fresh food in community gardens.

Led by Dr Suli Vunibola, a lecturer in the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury (UC), and UC PhD scholar Dr Esala Vakamacawai, a former surgeon , the programme aims to drive social and behavioural transformation within Pacific communities.

Concerned about disproportionately high rates of type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases in the Pacific community, Dr Vunibola and Dr Vakamacawai held local talanoa (consultation) using funding from UC’s Cluster for Community and Urban Resilience (CURe). They have also had support from UC Distinguished Professor Steven Ratuva and the Pacific Ocean and Climate Crisis Assessment project.

The pair, who are Fijian, came up with community gardening as a way to provide Pacific people with access to affordable, healthy food and get them moving.

“We could see that gardening was a way to change minds and save lives through collective action,” Dr Vunibola says.

The programme has been running for more than two years and the focus has recently shifted to changing the eating habits of Pacific children aged between seven and 15.

“Because they’re involved in the whole process of looking after the garden, they’re much more interested in eating fresh, nutrient-dense vegetables,” Dr Vunibola says. “The project has shown us that we can influence their eating behaviour when they’re still young, and this is a massive challenge for many Pacific families.

“We are retraining children’s tastebuds because they see the food from the garden to the table. They’re connected with the whole process; they’re involved in planting, weeding, crop management, harvesting and post-harvest as well. Our people need healing, and we want this to become a lifestyle for our children.”

The group has enlisted Christchurch-based Fijian chef Josefa Leko, who is working with the children to develop recipes for vegetable-based meals they’ll enjoy.

Dr Vunibola’s wife, Sereima Vunibola, who is studying social work at UC, is currently editing a new children’s book written by the children about their experiences in the community gardens and the healthy food they’ve made. The children will sell the books for pocket money, helping them gain life skills.

“We want this to be not just a programme but a lifestyle, so we’re teaching children health literacy and we believe this will have long-term benefits,” Dr Vunibola says.

The grassroots gardening project involves pooling resources and expertise and using household backyards and affordable materials. There are now more than 20 different gardens being used to grow vegetables that are shared with Pacific families. The group makes compost and preserves seeds to reduce costs and make the project more efficient, sustainable and climate resilient.

“We are working with more than 100 people and each time about 20 of us will go to someone’s house, have a cup of tea and do some gardening. It’s a way of reconstructing the mindset of collectivism that we had in our communities in the Pacific. There are benefits for mental health as well as physical health and holistic wellbeing,” Dr Vunibola says.

He believes it is giving Pacific people a sense of agency. “We see that when parents and children are working in the garden together it’s not just their health that benefits but also their cultural wellbeing. They’re saving money and eating more vegetables and some of the produce is being dried, preserved, and frozen so it can be eaten during the winter as well.”

Dr Vunibola says measures to promote healthy eating and lifestyles need to be tailored to Pacific culture to be effective.

“What we’re trying to do is make sure this project is aligned to our culture and helping members of our community live longer. For us, it’s about the real-world impact; we’ve seen changes, and that motivates us to keep going with our applied research.”

Dr Vunibola wants to carry out work that identifies the social, political and cultural drivers of health among Pacific people. He believes the findings will be useful for government policy and community initiatives in health and would welcome funding to allow the community gardening project to expand.

“The garden-to-table project explores using gardening to motivate behaviour change among Fijian children in Christchurch. Children are our future, and encouraging a healthy lifestyle from a young age is essential in preventing health problems such as non-communicable diseases.”

Dr Vakamacawai is working for Pegasus Health while completing his PhD thesis which explores how cultural and practical motivation can be used to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes in Itaukei (Indigenous Fijians) Pacific communities. He says new World Health Organisation research shows Pacific Island countries account for nine out of 10 of the top countries in the world with the highest prevalence of obesity.

“If we want to prevent obesity, we need to educate Pacific children about their eating habits which is what we’re trying to do. It’s easier to bend a tree when it’s still young rather than when it’s fully grown.”

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