How tech and tradition are cyclone-proofing Vanuatu's food systems

Beneath the corrugated canopy of the main market in Vanuatu’s capital of Port Vila, tables display bananas in hues of green and yellow, as overflowing piles of zucchinis, sweet potatoes, and grapefruit threaten to tumble to the floor.

This abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables wasn’t available just a year ago. In March 2023, two category four cyclones named Judy and Kevin barreled through this Pacific island nation two days apart, ravaging gardens and agricultural fields.

The Pacific is considered one of the most disaster-prone regions in the world. As natural disasters increase threefold, the Vanuatu government, supported by NGOs, is taking action to protect the food it produces and cyclone-proof its food systems. And while many of these efforts involve new technology, they’re also tapping into food preservation techniques that were once popular among the Indigenous ni-Vanuatu people but have since withered in the face of modernization.