The Remote Food Security Project is a collaborative co-designed research project that resulted from a call to action from Apunipima Cape York Health Council in Queensland and Central Australian Aboriginal Congress in the Northern Territory. Improving food security is a priority for remote communities serviced by these Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations.
Food security has been defined as:
“The land and the sea is our food security. It is our right. Food security for us has two parts: Food security is when the food of our ancestors is protected and always there for us and our children. It is when we can easily access and afford the right non-traditional food for a collective health and active life. When we are food secure we can provide, share and fulfil our responsibilities, we can choose good food knowing how to make choices and how to prepare and use it” (Good Food Systems Project1).
In Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people disproportionately experience lower rates of food security, especially those living in remote communities. Food security supports diet quality and nutrition status, reduces chronic disease risk, and is essential for the health and wellbeing of current and future generations.
The co-designed Remote Food Security project, conducted in Cape York and Central Australia, aimed to evaluate the impact of price discounting healthy foods on diet quality for women and children, and affordability of a healthy diet for families; and to learn from community members their experiences and proposed solutions to improve food security, to inform a community-led remote food security framework.
Read the publication on the co-design process
1. Menzies School of Health Research, Developing a good food system in your community information: Information Sheet 1- Good Food Systems Overview (2016), https://www.menzies.edu.au/icms_docs/252289_Information_sheet_1.pdf.
Acknowledgement
We would like to acknowledge and thank all of the communities and community members who participated in the project, and the Community Researchers and Community Advisory Groups for their invaluable guidance and support in conducting this project.
Key project findings
- Healthy food is unaffordable in remote communities
- Many families experience food insecurity
- Diet quality is impacted by food insecurity, with overall diet quality of mothers and children not meeting the Australian Dietary Guidelines
- Community strengths in managing food security include sharing and use of traditional foods
- Community identified priorities for improving food security include: i) addressing the cost, supply and range of quality foods available, ii) increasing income/employment and training opportunities, iii) addressing car/road condition and access to transport, and iv) health promotion education. A number of potential solutions have been suggested to address these priorities.
Healthy food discount
We aimed evaluate the impact of price discounting healthy foods for families on the diet quality of women and children and affordability of a healthy diet. Across eight communities, 470 pregnant and breastfeeding women, and young children participated. Families were given a discount card that gave them 30% off healthy food and drinks at their community store for 4-6 months.
Main findings
- Food was unaffordable for residents receiving social security income and was higher than the regional town centres of Alice Springs and Cairns. A family would have to spend approximately 40% of their income on a healthy food basket in Central Australia and 38% in Cape York. Expenditure above 25% of household income indicates food stress1 and above 30% is considered unaffordable2.
- Three out of four families (76%) reported experiencing food insecurity. This is higher than the most recent national statistics which reported 31% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in remote communities to be food insecure3.
- Food insecurity impacts the ability to consume a diet that supports health and wellbeing. The diet reported for women and children did not meet the Australian Dietary Guidelines recommendations. Children under five years were meeting the recommended intake for most food groups, except for vegetables. However, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers reported not eating enough of most food groups (fruit, vegetables, grains and dairy). These findings are supported by other project data, where parents/carers shared how they prioritised feeding children before themselves.
1. Landrigan T, Kerr D, Dhaliwal S, et al. Removing the Australian tax exemption on healthy food adds food stress to families vulnerable to poor nutrition. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2017;41:591-597
2. Lee A, Lewis M. Testing the Price of Healthy and Current Diets in Remote Aboriginal Communities to Improve Food Security: Development of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healthy Diets ASAP (Australian Standardised Affordability and Pricing) Methods. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018;15:2912
3. Australian Bureau of Statistics. 4727.0.55.005 - Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Survey: Nutrition Results - Food and Nutrients, 2012-13. Canberra; ABS, 2015
Experience of food security
We aimed to learn from community members about their experience of food insecurity, and suggestions to improve food security, via interviews. Across Central Australia and Cape York 17 pregnant and breastfeeding women and parents/carers of young children shared their story.
Main findings
- Food security was described as; having enough food, reduced stress, and engaging in family activities.
- Food insecurity was described in terms of; physical pain and emotional stress, adults going without food, seeking family help, and managing without money for food until payday.
- The strengths in managing food security through sharing practices and use of traditional foods was shared.
- Energy security (sufficient household electricity) was shared as a significant issue closely linked to food security.
- Suggestions for improving food security included; improved transport and food access, subsidised electricity, increases in the regularity of social assistance payments, computer access and training in budgeting.
Photovoice
We aimed to further explore solutions to improve food security, from the perspective of pregnant and breastfeeding women, and parents/carers of young children. Twenty-five parents/carers participated and spent two weeks photographing food (in)security in their communities. Participants took part in a series of workshops to discuss their photographs, and to support the development of themes using photographs including solutions to improve food security.
Main findings
- Community strengths were identified including traditional food practices and sharing as a part of culture, both of which were made easier when people were food secure and had adequate resources.
- Cost of living pressures were described at length, including the cost (and availability) of healthy food and other essential items, the cost of energy (electricity and gas), and the cost of transport.
- Income was described as being too low, with solutions being to increase social security income, and increase employment and training opportunities.
- Overcrowding and housing maintenance issues were described as contributing to food insecurity.
View the photos taken by participants telling the story of cultural practices that support food security in:
Sharing as part of a culture
Traditional food use
View the photos taken by participants telling the story of these food security priority areas:
Cost of healthy food and other essential items
Housing and infrastructure
Income and employment
Cost of power (electricity and gas)
Cost of transport
Participants (as attributed) retain the copyright for these photographs and have given permission to The University of Queensland to share them. These photos are subject to copyright. Downloading these photos could be a breach of the Copyright Act. For further information contact Megan Ferguson: megan.ferguson@uq.edu.au, Ph. 07 3365 5546
Community prioritisation
Community leaders considered all the evidence generated in this project. They determined the priorities and potential solutions that would have the greatest impact, if addressed, to improve food security in their community.
Main findings
- Community leaders determined multiple priorities that would have the greatest impact on improving food security in their community.
- In all communities, income and healthy food prices were considered key priorities to address.
Community reports
All preliminary findings were shared and discussed with the Community Advisory Group in the community and other people as advised by them. Final findings were returned to communities to inform their own local solutions and advocacy for solutions to improve food security.
Community-led framework to improve food security in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
Building on the research phase of the project, representatives from 10 remote communities in Cape York and Central Australia participated in a Knowledge Exchange where they determined collective priorities and solutions, and considered advocacy options, to inform a community-led framework and policy translation plan to improve food security in remote communities across both regions.
Sixteen community representatives attended the 2-day Knowledge Exchange in Cairns in February 2023. Representatives were selected by Community Advisory Groups in each community.
The knowledge exchange process identified five priority area and a number of potential solutions;
- Healthy food prices
- Supply and range of quality foods
- Car and road condition, and access to transport
- Income, employment and training
- Education- health promotion.
The project team is continuing to work with participating communities to support the translation of these research findings into policy and practice for improving food security in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
View photos from the Knowledge Exchange:
Influencing public and political will
In addition to raising community voice, public will is important to shifting political will. We aimed to understand how we could frame messages to gain more traction with politicians.
A street intercept survey was conducted to seek public agreement or otherwise with 10 different policies to improve food security informed by solutions proposed by community members in this project. We used these findings to inform an experimental framing study where three different messages and a control message were tested, based on the values and language evident in the intercept survey data. These findings will help us shape messages that might give most traction with policy makers.
This project was a collaboration between Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations, Community Advisory Groups, Community Researchers, community store organisations, research investigators and project partners. The project team endeavoured to conduct respectful, community-led research with communities, under the guidance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership at all levels of project governance. The Remote Food Security Project collaborative comprises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members and academics, and non-Indigenous allies seeking improvement in food security and health and wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in remote Australia.
Project partners
- Apunipima Cape York Health Council
- Central Australian Aboriginal Congress
- The University of Queensland
- Monash University
- Menzies School of Health Research
- Dalhousie University
Research team members
- Megan Ferguson, The University of Queensland
- Caroline Deen, Apunipima Cape York Health Council
- Kani Thompson, Apunipima Cape York Health Council
- Emma Stubbs, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress
- Ellie Chan, Central Australian Aboriginal Congress and The University of Queensland
- Emma Chappell, The University of Queensland
- Emma Tonkin, The University of Queensland
- Sue Booth, The University of Queensland
Chief Investigators
- Megan Ferguson, The University of Queensland
- Julie Brimblecombe, Monash University
- Amanda Lee, The University of Queensland
- Yvonne Cadet-James, Apunipima Cape York Health Council
- Bronwyn Fredericks, The University of Queensland
- Eddie Miles, Menzies School of Health Research
- Clare Brown, Apunipima Cape York Health Council
- Katherine Cullerton, The University of Queensland
- Catherine Mah, Dalhousie University
Associate Investigators
- Kani Thompson, Apunipima Cape York Health Council
- Dympna Leonard, Apunipima Cape York Health Council
- Melinda Hammond, Apunipima Cape York Health Council
- Carrie Turner, Northern Territory Government Department of Health
- Simone Nalatu, Health and Wellbeing Queensland
- Nicholas Biddle, Australian National University
- Sue Kleve, Monash University
Funding
This project is funded by a NHMRC Targeted Call for Research grant (1179848). The contents of the published material are solely the responsibility of the Administering Institution, a Participating Institution or individual authors and do not reflect the views of NHMRC.
Project resources
Hear from community members about the priorities and solutions for improving food security in remote communities in these project videos:
Remote Food Security Project: Community priorities and solutions
Importance of food security
Healthy food affordability
Employment and income
Community solutions to improve food security
- Listen to our team talking about the project on the UQ Research Reimagined podcast
- Watch this video on Apunipima’s Facebook page from the Knowledge Exchange in Cairns.
Publications
- How can food security research be co-designed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous people and organisations?
Read the research summary and publication:
- How do people living in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities experience and cope with food insecurity?
Read the research summary and publication:
- Using photovoice to generate solutions to improve food security among families living in remote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia.
Read the research summary and publication:
In the media
- Read about the Remote Food Security Project in UQ News: Study to fight food insecurity in Indigenous communities - UQ News - The University of Queensland, Australia
- Read about the impacts of energy costs on food security: Energy costs impacting food security in remote Indigenous communities - School of Public Health - University of Queensland (uq.edu.au)
- Hear from one of our project partners, Gary Cole from Mutitjulu, speaking about food security in his community: Call for NT Government to improve food value, quality in remote communities - CAAMA
- Read about action on food subsidies: Governments urged to follow Queensland lead in subsidising food costs in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities – Croakey Health Media
Other resources
- Read our case study in the National Strategy for Food Security in Remote First Nations Communities- Discussion Paper
- Read our submission (no. 19) to the Inquiry into Food Security in Australia
- Read Apunipima (PDF, 1.4 MB) and Congress Food Security position statements
Contact us
Get in touch to learn more about our research.
(07) 3365 5546 megan.ferguson@uq.edu.au
Banner image source: Apunipima Cape York Health Council