The importance of sustainability is becoming more relevant and significant. There is a growing recognition of the global and local challenges we face. 

One local sustainability issue is the island’s reliance on imports. 

Guam imports approximately 90% of all the food we consume and its residents are reliant on canned foods. “When importation slowed down, it kind of showed us how heavily we rely on imported goods,” Tatiana Ananich, a program support assistant at Guåhan Sustainable Culture, said. 

GSC is a local nonprofit organization that envisions a Guåhan where its people strive towards food sovereignty and greater food security, where its people are proficient in cultivating their own food and where its land, air and sea are sustained for future generations.

“It [food security] should be important because we should be responsible for ourselves. We should be able to sustain ourselves. Relying on other people takes that freedom and independence away,” Ananich said. 

In May 2022, the United Nations warned of a global food security crisis. Research reveals that food insecurity can result in ongoing short and long-term health problems. This further highlights the importance of food security that GSC and Ananich are trying to achieve for the community. 

Agriculture has an important role in society because it ensures the production of food and is consequently essential to food security and sustainability. A survey of over 14,000 people worldwide found that 93% report increased concerns related to sustainability. 

Ananich is among those with increased concerns related to sustainability and strongly supports the movement towards a local and sustainable Guåhan. “We [GSC] act as an educational resource for the community to learn about how the agricultural industry on Guam falls in line with a sustainable lifestyle for the entire island,” she stated. 

Ananich also mentions an after-school program called Li’l Sprouts Academy where she teaches elementary and middle school students the value of sustainable methods of farming and how to produce their own food. 

Additionally, GSC designed and built the Guam Green Growth Community Garden which Ananich frequently visits. It fosters the island’s alignment with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainability Development Goals. That is SDG #2: Zero Hunger, SDG #3: Good Health and Wellbeing and SDG #11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

For individuals who feel passionate about Guam’s sustainability, GSC offers a variety of opportunities to get involved. You can get in contact with Ananich and the rest of their team at 671-734-4721 or you can visit their website at gusustainable.org.