2 results
Exploring school food provision programs and links to local foods in Pacific Island countries
- J. Perry, B. Horsey, J. Raneri, D. Hunter, S. O’Connor, M. Hyland-Wood, E. Casey, S. Burkhart
-
- Journal:
- Proceedings of the Nutrition Society / Volume 83 / Issue OCE1 / April 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 07 May 2024, E20
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Export citation
-
Providing access to food in schools can serve as a platform for food system transformation, while simultaneously improving educational outcomes and livelihoods. Locally grown and procured food is a nutritious, healthy, and efficient way to provide schoolchildren with a daily meal while, at the same time, improving opportunities for smallholder farmers(1). While there is significant potential for school food provision activities to support healthy dietary behaviours in the Pacific Islands region, there is limited evidence of these types of activities(2), including scope and links to local food production in the region. Therefore, the aim of this scoping study was to understand the current state of school food activities (school feeding, gardening and other food provision activities) and any current, and potential links to local agriculture in the Pacific Islands. A regional mapping activity was undertaken, initially covering 22 Pacific Island countries. The mapping included two steps: 1) a desk based scoping review including peer-reviewed and grey literature (2007-2022) and 2) One-hour semi-structured online Zoom interviews with key country stakeholders. Twelve sources were identified, predominately grey literature (n = 9). Thirty interviews were completed with at least 1 key stakeholder from 15 countries. A variety of school food provision activities were identified, including school feeding programs (n = 16, of varying scale), programs covering both school feeding and school gardens (n = 2), school garden programs (n = 12), and other school food provision activities (n = 4, including taste/sensory education, food waste reduction, increasing canteen capacity for local foods, supply chain distribution between local agriculture and schools). Existing links to local agriculture varied for the different programs. Of the 16 school feeding programs, 8 had a requirement for the use of local produce (policy requirement n = 6, traditional requirement from leaders n = 2). Of the 12 school garden programs, 6 used local or traditional produce in the garden and 5 involved local farmers in varying capacities. Challenges to linking local agriculture into school food provision programs were reported for 17 activities and were context dependent. Common challenges included limited funding, inflation, Covid-19, inadequate produce supply for the scale of program, limited farmer capacity, limited institutional support for local produce, low produce storage life, climatic conditions and disasters, water security, delayed procurement process, and limited professional development and upskilling opportunities. Modernisation and colonisation of food systems resulting in a preference for hyperpalatable foods and challenges in incorporating local produce in a way that is accepted by students was also identified as a challenge. This evidence can be used to develop a pathway to piloting and implementing models of school food provision programs and promoting opportunities for shared learning and collaboration with key stakeholders across the Pacific Islands region.
Supporting Food and Nutrition Education in The Pacific Islands: Scoping Resources and Professional Development Opportunities for Teachers
- B. Horsey, J. Perry, D. Craven, J. Nyemah, S. Burkhart
-
- Journal:
- Proceedings of the Nutrition Society / Volume 83 / Issue OCE1 / April 2024
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 07 May 2024, E144
-
- Article
-
- You have access Access
- Export citation
-
Schools provide a unique opportunity to educate and motivate Pacific Island students and the wider Pacific Island community about food systems, food production activities (e.g., gardening and cooking) and to focus on the knowledge and skills needed to make healthy and sustainable food choices. Recent work(1) has identified limited access to appropriate and credible learning and teaching resources and varying integration of food and nutrition in the curriculum across the Pacific Islands (P.I) region. Teachers reported an ardent desire to incorporate nutrition into the curriculum, but were not sure how to do this, or where to source assistance, including credible learning materials. Stakeholders also reported requiring assistance to develop contextualised learning materials, and that there were limited options for upskilling in food, nutrition and agriculture. Recommendations from this work included the development of a tool to assist teachers to bridge the gap between understanding the benchmark or learning outcomes provided in curriculum and designing engaging and authentic activities and assessment to meet these. Therefore, this project aimed to identify food and nutrition curriculum materials available for Pacific Island educators, to inform the development of a web-based resource. In 2022, a systematic desk-based scoping activity was undertaken to identify any resources available to teach food and nutrition in Pacific Island schools (primary and secondary level) and professional development opportunities relevant for educators. The mapping identified over 70 resources, with resources from almost all countries identified. Some are available for specific countries, but few that are designed for use regionally. Some of these resources are directly aligned to food-based dietary guidelines, while others appear to be developed for specific activities by non-governmental organisations. Very few professional development activities were identified. Once a resource was identified, the project team used the CRAAP test(2) to evaluate the credibility of this. If deemed credible, the resource was tagged with key words (e.g., Tonga, gardening) and added for inclusion. The key resource categories (for tagging) were cooking, ocean and waterway foods, food in schools, food safety, healthy eating, sustainability, pacific research, teaching practice, gardening and WASH. A web designer developed the web-based resource through collaboration with the project team. Users can search for resources by country and/or topic. Based on the mapping of professional development activities, a professional development activity based on assessing the credibility of information was developed and added to the L&T toolkit. Users of the hub can share resources (their own) or identify other resources that could be added to the hub. There are limited resources and opportunities for Pacific Island food and nutrition teachers to upskill in food and nutrition education. School educators may benefit from more food and nutrition resources and professional development activities to complement those that are currently available.