Republic of the Marshall Islands National Food Systems Summit Dialogues

Overview

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) convened a series of National Food Systems Summit Dialogues in 20232024 to assess the state of the nations food system, identify critical gaps, and chart a resilient, climatesmart future. Situated in the central Pacific, the islands face unique challenges: limited arable land, high dependence on imported foods, rising sea levels, and frequent extreme weather events. The dialogues brought together government ministries, traditional leaders, farmers, fishers, womens groups, youth, NGOs, and international partners to codesign solutions that respect Marshallese culture while meeting Global Action Programme targets.

Key Issues Raised

1. Food Import Dependence

More than 80% of staple foodsrice, wheat, canned meats and sugary drinksare imported from Asia and the United States. This reliance inflates household expenditures and undermines nutritional sovereignty.

2. Climate Vulnerability

Sealevel rise has already eroded coastal agricultural plots, contaminated freshwater lenses with saltwater, and increased the frequency of salinity intrusion in the lagoon, reducing fish stocks and affecting aquaculture.

3. Loss of Indigenous Food Knowledge

Younger generations are disengaged from traditional practices such as cultivating taro, breadfruit, and pandanus, or harvesting wild seafood. Knowledge transmission is threatened by migration and reduced schooling on local food heritage.

4. Nutrition Transition

The shift toward processed, highsugar, highsalt foods has contributed to rising rates of noncommunicable diseasesdiabetes, hypertension, and obesityaffecting roughly 30% of adults.

5. Economic Constraints

Limited access to credit and high input costs hinder smallscale farmers and fishers from adopting climateresilient techniques, while market opportunities for local produce remain underdeveloped.

Dialogue Highlights

The dialogues were structured around three thematic tracks, each featuring plenary sessions, breakout workshops, and community field trips.

Track A Sustainable Production

• Agroecology pilots: Introduction of salttolerant taro varieties and raisedbed gardening on reclaimed landfill sites.
• Integrated aquaculture: Trials of seaweedfish polyculture to improve water quality and diversify income.
• Renewable energy for farms: Solarpowered irrigation pumps demonstrated at Majuros central garden.

Track B Healthy Diets & Nutrition

• School nutrition program: Incorporating locally sourced fruit and vegetables into daily meals, supported by a curriculum on traditional foods.
• Community cooking classes: Reviving recipes that combine native ingredients with modern preparation methods.
• Food labeling campaign: Simple visual symbols to identify highsugar and highsalt products in stores.

Track C Governance & Market Development

• Policy reforms: Drafting a Marshall Islands Food Sovereignty Act that sets import quotas, incentivizes local production, and protects marine resources.
• Microfinance scheme: Partnering with the Pacific Islands Development Bank to provide lowinterest loans for climatesmart farms.
• Valuechain mapping: Identifying bottlenecks for breadfruit processing and establishing a regional brand.

Our food system must reflect the ocean that surrounds us and the land that sustains us; we cannot let climate change dictate our diets. Minister of Health, Dr. Anil Jang

Pathways Forward

The summit concluded with a set of actionable recommendations organized under four pillars.

Pillar 1 ClimateResilient Production

1. Scale up seed multiplication of salttolerant varieties.
2. Expand communitymanaged marine protected areas to support fish stock recovery.
3. Deploy rooftop and vertical gardens in densely populated atolls.

Pillar 2 Nutrition & Public Health

1. Mandate nutrition standards for all governmentprocured food.
2. Launch a national Eat Local media campaign targeting youth.
3. Integrate nutrition screening into routine primarycare visits.

Pillar 3 Economic Empowerment

1. Establish a Marshall Islands Food Innovation Hub to incubate agribusiness ideas.
2. Facilitate market linkages with nearby Pacific island markets for surplus produce.
3. Introduce tax incentives for businesses that source locally.

Pillar 4 Institutional Coordination

1. Create an interministerial Food Systems Council chaired by the Prime Minister.
2. Develop a national data platform to monitor production, consumption, and health outcomes.
3. Secure longterm technical assistance from FAO, WHO, and Pacific Climate Change Centre.

Resources & Further Reading

• UN Food Systems Summit Official Site
• FAO Country Profile: Marshall Islands
• Pacific Climate Change Centre
• WHO Nutrition Strategies
• Draft Marshall Islands Food Sovereignty Act (PDF)