CLIMATE change is having a bigger effect on food insecurity not only in Fiji but the Pacific Island countries, says Monash University’s Business School Professor Paresh Narayan.
He said the quality of food consumed had also declined, affecting the health of people globally.
“Climate change is having a bigger effect on food insecurity not only in Fiji but the Pacific Island countries and other countries that are affected by climate change,” Prof Narayan said.
“The quality of food that we used to consume 10 years ago has declined which is affecting the health of people globally.
“You have seen that 70 to 80 per cent of the deaths in the Pacific Island countries are due to NCDs and that is linked to food insecurity.” He said we need greater policy focus to address this issue.
“It’s a combination of factors and I think we need greater policy focus on this.
“This joint Monash University and Fiji National University’s new climate change research centre, Pacific Actions for Climate Transitions (PACT) is going to provide a lot of those sorts of solutions working with policymakers like Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health, and indeed the Ministry of Trade, and then you have ministry looking after poverty and welfare. “So multiple ministries that will find the research of relevance.
“Researchers would be able to actually work with them from the very beginning on those sorts of issues to find solutions faster.”
The PACT initiative was launched at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva last Friday.
