Workshop Links Soil Health to Chronic Disease Fight

By Kisean Joseph

kisean.joseph@antiguaobserver.com

Health, agriculture and education experts gathered at the American University of Antigua (AUA) this week to explore the link between soil health, nutrition and the nation’s chronic disease burden.

The “Food as Medicine, Soil as Life: Cultivating Health from the Ground Up” workshop brought together physicians, nutritionists, farmers and educators at AUA’s Learning Centre. Organisers said the goal was to spark a national conversation on prevention rather than treatment.

Minister of Health Michael Joseph commended the partnering institutions for convening experts from multiple disciplines to examine what he described as an issue at the heart of public health.

“Our health begins long before we enter a doctor’s office or a hospital,” Minister Joseph said. “It begins with the quality of the food we eat, the soil in which it is grown, the water that nourishes it, and the environment that sustains it.”

Drawing on his background as a pharmacist, the Minister said prevention must remain the cornerstone of healthcare, even as medicines remain essential in treating illnesses.

“One of the greatest lessons from healthcare is that prevention will always be preferable to treatment,” he said. “In many respects, the healthiest prescription we can write begins with the choices we make every day about the food we consume.”

Minister Joseph, who also holds responsibility for the environment, said healthy people depend on healthy ecosystems.

“Healthy soils produce nutritious crops. Clean water sustains agriculture,” he said. “When we care for our environment, we are investing in the health of current and future generations.”

He noted that global challenges such as climate change, food insecurity and the rising burden of non-communicable diseases show health outcomes are shaped by sectors far beyond healthcare, including agriculture, education, environmental management and community development.

Dr Leslie Walwyn, the workshop’s organiser at AUA, said the initiative reflects decades of public health work confronting the country’s disease profile. She noted Antigua and Barbuda’s high rates of diabetes, hypertension, cancer, heart disease and stroke are closely tied to diet, adding that over 90 per cent of the nation’s food is imported, much of it processed in ways that diminish nutritional value.

“All of those diseases that I just mentioned are linked to nutrition, linked to the way in which we consume food,” Dr Walwyn said.

Physician Dr Japhia Jayasingh-Ramkumar told the workshop the evidence linking diet quality to chronic disease prevention has strengthened considerably with advances in microbiome research. She pointed to global “Blue Zones,” where populations live longer, healthier lives on plant-based, whole-food diets sourced close to home, and said food-based intervention programmes used abroad can complement rather than replace conventional medical treatment.

Food microbiologist Dr Helen Onyeka said the workshop’s premise recognises that food shapes the gut microbiome and, in turn, immune function, metabolism and mental health. She said meaningful change requires collaboration across health, agriculture, education and government rather than isolated efforts within each sector.

Agricultural specialist Owolabi Elabanjo, who has worked in the sector for close to 30 years, said soil health forms the foundation of food quality.

“Soil is the pillar for agriculture,” Elabanjo said. “And without soil, there’s nothing called agriculture, even though we have what you call soilless production now.”

He called for greater private and banking sector investment to support farmers transitioning to more sustainable practices, citing Antigua and Barbuda’s varied soil types, including volcanic, limestone and central plain soils.

Ministry of Health nutritionist Susan Gardner said food provides the nutrients necessary for healing and sustained wellness, particularly for those managing chronic illness.

“Food is what provides the nutrients for our healing of our tissues,” Gardner said. “So food is more than just for taste, it is for healing; it provides a level of strength and balance.”

Paediatrician Dr Joycelyn Walter-Thomas said physicians are traditionally trained to prescribe medicine rather than food, but growing evidence on the gut microbiome’s role in child development calls for a shift in medical training and practice.

Educator, farmer and Agro-processor Leslie-Anne Colborne said she has observed rising numbers of children showing signs of poor nutrition, urging parents to take a more active role in monitoring what children consume.

Chronic diabetes survivor and prison nurse Charmaine Gouvia said the workshop prompted her to reconsider assumptions about the causes of psychiatric symptoms among the incarcerated population, suggesting poor diet may play a greater role than previously understood.