Nadi, Fiji: To work and stay healthy, we all need sufficient, safe and nutritious foods through out our entire life.
This week, more than 40 researchers, lecturers, teachers, and administrators from regional Universities, government ministries, and international organizations attended a workshop convened by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (TCARC), USP, PIURN and Wageningen University in Nadi, Fiji to discuss the role that universities play in food and nutritional security in the South Pacific.
“In the same family, we can find an obese and anemic mother with a malnourished stunted child” said Dr. Wendy Snowdon (WHO). People from small pacific island countries (SPICs) often lack Vitamin A, sufficient protein, and have iron and zinc deficiencies, she explained. Solutions are needed, and research can help find them.
Solomon Islands National University (SINU) was represented by Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Basil Marasinghe and Dean of the School of Natural Resources and Applied Sciences Dr. Dusti Becker who will present an overview of what students are currently being taught about food security at the School of Natural Resources and Applied Sciences.
SINU was also welcomed as an official new member of PIURN, the Pacific Island Universities Research Network. Member universities plan to collaborate on research projects, fund-raising and policy setting.
