{"id":218890,"date":"2025-07-21T10:38:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T20:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=218890"},"modified":"2025-07-21T10:38:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T20:38:15","slug":"more-ecological-diversity-better-nutrition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/07\/21\/more-ecological-diversity-better-nutrition\/","title":{"rendered":"More ecological diversity means better nutritional resources in Fiji\u2019s agroforests"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
\"food
Fresh harvest from a Fijian agroforest. UH<\/abbr> research shows diverse ecosystems like this support better nutrition and climate resilience.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Indigenous agroforests (food-producing agroecosystems where trees and crops grow together in forest-like environments) may offer valuable insights for addressing two of the world\u2019s biggest challenges: declining biodiversity and rising non-communicable disease, according to research led by University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa researchers. Published in July 2025 in Global Food Security<\/em><\/a>, the study found that agroforests with greater ecological diversity also offer a more nutritionally diverse food supply.<\/p>\n

\"trees
Trees and crops grow together in a Fijian agroforest, creating a diverse system that supports both ecosystem health and human nutrition.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The team analyzed 48 Indigenous agroforests in Fiji using a trait-based framework. Focusing on specific plant characteristics important for ecological resilience, such as how their seeds are dispersed or how tall they grow, and traits important for human health and nutrition, such as carbohydrates, vitamin A<\/abbr> or zinc, they measured the ecological and nutritional functional diversity in the agroforests. The findings showed that agroforests with a high diversity of traits important to ecological resilience—such as recovery after major weather disturbances—also support a wider range and depth of nutrients necessary to human health.<\/p>\n

The results point to an important link between environmental management and nutritional resources. While much of modern agriculture focuses on high-yield, low-cost food production, this often comes at the expense of ecosystem health, nutritional diversity and downstream dietary quality. Agroforestry systems, by contrast, grow a variety of trees and plants in the same space, mimicking natural ecosystems and offering a greater diversity of edible and medicinal products.<\/p>\n

“Fiji\u2019s agroforests highlight the potential of biodiverse agroecosystems to contribute to climate-resilient and nutrition-sensitive agriculture,” said lead author Ashley McGuigan. “As we work to strengthen food systems that are rooted in place, responsive to climate change, and supportive of community health, this research underscores the importance of biodiversity, agroforestry, and local knowledge in food production.”<\/p>\n

McGuigan is an extension specialist faculty member in UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management<\/a> at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience<\/a> (CTAHR<\/abbr>) and a UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa School of Life Sciences<\/a> PhD<\/abbr> graduate.<\/p>\n

Supporting Indigenous knowledge and practices<\/h2>\n
\"large
Trees and crops grow together in a Fijian agroforest, creating a diverse system that supports both ecosystem health and human nutrition.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The study also highlighted the importance of Indigenous knowledge and management practices. The agroforests in the study are stewarded by placed-based and multi-generational informed knowledge systems that are uniquely attuned to local social and ecological conditions, and have enabled resilience to varying levels and types of disasters and disturbances for millenia. Researchers said these knowledge systems and management practices are critical to support a transition towards food production systems that are not only more environmentally sound, but also nutritionally diverse and resilient to climate disruptions.<\/p>\n

“Our findings support stronger investment in Indigenous and agroecological food production systems, both in the Pacific and globally,” McGuigan said. “We recommend working with practitioners to identify and record additional functions and traits, and use trait-based tools to help design food production systems that support ecological resilience and human nutrition. We urge policymakers to prioritize systems that reflect the interconnected nature of environmental and human health.”<\/p>\n

The work was supported by the National Science Foundation, Fulbright Program and UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa, among others. The other authors on the study include: Tamara Ticktin (UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa School of Life Sciences), Rachel Novotny (UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa CTAHR<\/abbr>), Veniana Tikonavuli and Unaisi Vuli (The University of the South Pacific), and Abrania Marrero (Harvard University).<\/p>\n

“Food production is a cornerstone of Fiji\u2019s economy and community well-being,” Vuli said. “It provides essential food security and supports around 80% of rural livelihoods. Fiji is also increasingly reliant on imported goods, but supporting local food production helps strengthen resilience against climate and economic shocks.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UH<\/abbr> researchers found that more diverse agroforests in Fiji also offer richer nutritional benefits for local communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":218891,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[308,212,1085,1467,1363,1314,544,568,1473,73,9],"class_list":["post-218890","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research","tag-college-of-natural-sciences","tag-college-of-tropical-agriculture-and-human-resilience","tag-life-science","tag-manoa-excellence-in-research","tag-manoa-research","tag-manoa-sustainability","tag-natural-resources-and-environmental-management","tag-natural-science","tag-school-of-life-sciences","tag-sustainability","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/manoa-life-sciences-ctahr-fiji-agroforests-food.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=218890"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218890\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":218897,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218890\/revisions\/218897"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/218891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=218890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=218890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}