Guam's food security is on the table as community partners prepare for the 2nd Annual Agriculture Symposium, with the theme ‘Rooted in Resilience: Growing Food, Farms and Community.’ The three-day event will be hosted at the Guam Museum in Hagatna and is expected to bring together various stakeholders to tackle the island’s food system. 

If you go to any grocery store on Guam, it’s no secret prices are significantly higher here than in the mainland. With about 90 percent of Guam's food imported, food insecurity has long been a major concern. 

"If you go off island in the mainland or in the United States, people don’t really understand the concept of 90 percent imported foods. When we mention that in the conferences that we attend, they kind of freak out," explained Jenelyn Abinales, district manager for the Northern Guam Soil and Water Conservation District. "They’re baffled, like ‘what?’ it’s because it comes so easily to them. But for us, it’s something that we’re so used to. It ties into our culture, colonialism, and just so many other things."

The symposium hopes to bridge that gap by bringing together farmers, gardeners, educators, entrepreneurs, government agencies and community members to exchange knowledge, build relationships and strengthen Guam’s food systems.  Abinales added, "What’s new this year is this time, we’re theming it. It’s called ‘rooted in resilience.’ We wanted to truly enhance the food security portion of the island and how we want to close the food security gap on island, really."

The symposium is free and kicks off Wednesday at the Guam Museum from 9am to 6pm.  It’s hosted in partnership with Guahan Sustainable Culture, the University of Guam, the Guam Department of Agriculture and other community partners.

Abinales shares what participants can expect, "Our farmer panels is going to be a bunch of our farmers, our ranchers, who will be sharing their stories and experience of being a farmer and rancher on island. We also have next gen nens who will be sharing their own insights about what they think agriculture and conservation looks like for the future of the island and for themselves. Then we also have presenters from UOG, the district, on water catchment systems, composting and so many things that we want the community to learn about."

Participants are encouraged to register early to reserve their spot. To sign up, visit gusustainable.org/agriculture or call (671) 486-4721.