Throughout the islands of Kiribati, the soil quality is very poor and growing produce can be difficult. Extra effort and the introduction of nutrients to the soil is necessary to support plant growth.
It is not an easy task but learning new gardening skills and participating in garden projects is a passion the Mwemwenikeaki family are developing.
Penisula and Mereta Mwemwenikeaki and their family are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and reside at Banraeaba village on the capital island of Tarawa, Kiribati.
- The Mwemwenikeaki family live in the village of Banraeaba in Kiribati and grow a vegetable garden to help augment their food storage. The children attend Moroni High School, operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Kiribati, November 2020.
- The Mwemwenikeaki family of Tarawa, Kiributi are confident that the produce they are growing in their backyard will help sustain them. November, 2020.
- In Kiribati, Church members grow vegetables to increase healthy eating and to enhance their food storage supply. November 2020.
- The Mwemwenikeaki family enjoys learning new skills working in their garden. The produce they grow will be part of their food storage and help them be more self-reliant. Kiribati, November 2020.
| Temple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. © 2012 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. | 1 / 2 |
As president of the Tarawa Kiribati West Stake (group of congregations), President Mwemwenikeaki has urged his fellow leaders and Church members to make gardening part of their self-reliance and food storage plan that also includes a six-month family budget and storing dry rations.
In the October 2020 General Conference of the Church Elder David A. Bednar said, “Many think that emergency plans, supplies, food storage and 72-hour kits may not be important anymore because church leaders have not spoken recently [about them] in general conference. Repeated admonitions to prepare have been proclaimed by the leaders of the Church for decades. It is through challenging times that our inadequacies in temporal preparedness are revealed.” Read his full remarks here.
Many are feeling the negative economic impacts of COVID-19 throughout the world, but on their island atoll, the Mwemwenikeaki family work together to plant root crops and a variety of vegetables in their backyard.
As a result of their hard work, the family now enjoy healthier meals every day. By acting on this instruction from Church leaders, they are less concerned about uncertain economic conditions often experienced by small Pacific countries.
The Mwemwenikeaki family and others like them are confident that their food storage supplies and the produce they are growing in their backyard will sustain them.