Local food, imported food, and the failures of community gardening initiatives in Nauru

It was a hot, dusty day in Nauru, a small island nation in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The small puffs of sea breeze were a welcome contrast to the still, sun-baked air. From where Talena and I sat, under the shade of a sheet of corrugated iron perched on four metal poles, we could see the ocean glittering in the distance. The tide was out and water lapped at the edge of the reef about thirty metres offshore. To our left was her house; large concrete bricks rose almost all the way to the roof, but stopped short. The family had run out of money during the economic downturn, before they could finish construction of the family home. Talena had agreed to share her life story with me, to help me as I sought to understand the changing Nauruan lifestyle. The high rates of lifestyle-related health concerns such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease experienced by the local population made the changing lifestyle a central interest in my research.