It's one of the more urgent issues facing the global community - the spiralling price of food. Fiji is promoting a simple solution...grow it yourself. But that involves some serious conversion for city folk who see the humble garden patch as a luxury.

Clement Paligaru: It's Saturday morning in Suva and, as usual, the market is busy. As it is across the Pacific, this is where everyone comes to buy their fresh produce. Because these days, in towns and cities, very few people grow their own food.

Male market shopper: My compound is very small so it's not possible for me to grow any crops there.

Female market shopper: I'm not staying home to do the planting of these kind of things.

Female market shopper: There's hardly any place to grow any flowers and vegetables so this is the best place to come to.

Clement Paligaru: But with rising prices and food shortages, the Fiji government wants city people to grow their own food.

Fiuwaki Waqalala, Agriculture Department: They really find it hard. It's not only the price of food, it's the price of fuel. If they don't find means of combating this, then the problems will increase. People they will have to go out and look for other means. I mean they have to satisfy their hunger. Be member of the robberies, I mean committing robberies.

Clement Paligaru: The government is promoting home gardening as a practical and achievable solution.

Fiuwaki Waqalala: Just around the residence, they can plant especially vegetables of different varieties. That can assist in countering that increase in price.

Clement Paligaru: The Plant Five a Day campaign encourages city folk to get dirt under their nails at least five days a week.

Cities are increasingly starved for space. But Ajendra Nath says his home garden proves it's possible to grow a lot of food on even the smallest plot.

Ajendra Nath: I have vegetables like lettuce, Chinese cabbage, English cabbage, coriander, tomatoes. All you have to do is have a good place where it's safe, and no animals go there. And you have good soil.

Clement Paligaru: Jope Gonevulavula saw an overgrown block in his neighbourhood and talked the owner into letting him make it productive.

Jope Gonevulavula: I'm planting sweet potatoes in between the dalo (taro). After the coup in 2006, we're facing a lot of problems. So that's why we started planting these food crops.

Clement Paligaru: The retired school principal wants gardening taught in schools.

Jope Gonevulavula: I remember back in my days in the 70's so primary schools, teachers, were teaching us how to do gardening in the school.

Clement Paligaru: But he believes parents also have a responsibility to keep Fiji's gardening tradition alive.

Jope Gonevulavula: Once they leave work, they can go to the plantation, take their children there. That's the only way how they can teach the young ones But if they're not bothered, I think it will fade out.

I really feel happy when I come to my plantation. I just sit down and watch my dalo (taro) and cassava. So beautiful It also makes me feel happy inside.