JACARTA, Indonesia (AP) – Coronavirus infections have barely reached many of the remote Pacific islands, but the consequences of the pandemic have been enormous, disrupting the supply chain that brings in crucial food imports and causing prices to skyrocket as tourism declines.
With a food crisis imminent, many governments have initiated community initiatives to help alleviate shortages: extend fishing seasons, expand lessons on collecting indigenous food and strengthen seed distribution programs that allow residents greater self-sufficiency.
“We started with 5,000 seeds initially and we plan to finish them in nine months. But there was a very big response and we finished distributing the seeds in a week, ”said Vinesh Kumar, head of operations at Fiji’s Ministry of Agriculture.
The project provides residents with vegetable seeds, seedlings and basic agricultural equipment to help them grow their own gardens.
Elisabeta Waqa, a Fijian resident, said she had thought about making a vegetable garden before the pandemic, but – without a job, extra time at home and seeds from the ministry and friends – finally took action.
Seeking to have “zero financial investment,” Waqa collected buckets, crates and other potential planters discarded by the side of the road and in the trash. Soon his backyard was transformed into containers of green beans, cucumbers, cabbage and other products.
“When I started harvesting, about two, three weeks later, that’s when I realized: my God, this is a hobby that people have had for so long. I thought about how much money I could save by doing this, ”said Waqa.
Geographically isolated, with limited arable land and increasing urbanization, many of the Pacific island countries and territories have seen their populations shift from traditional agriculture-based work to tourism. The trend has created an increasing reliance on imported foods, such as canned meat, pasta and other highly processed foods, rather than the traditional diet of locally grown items such as nutrient-rich yams and taro.
Eriko Hibi, director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Liaison Office in Japan, called the shift from a “triple burden” of health issues: malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and obesity.
When the pandemic hit, almost all countries in the region closed their borders. Transport supply chains – including farm fertilizer and food – have been disrupted, causing prices to rise. In Suva, Fiji, the cost of some fresh fruits and vegetables increased by up to 75% during the first few weeks.
At the same time, tourism – which Hibi said accounts for up to 70% of some countries’ gross domestic product – has been disrupted, leaving thousands of unemployed people with reduced access to food.
“It is not just about the availability of prices on the market, but also the purchasing power of consumers, which has decreased,” said Hibi.
In Tuvalu, the government held workshops teaching methods of producing food for indigenous youth, such as planting taro and collecting sap from coconut trees. In Fiji, the government has extended the fishing season for coral trout and grouper, which could be sold as a source of income or used as food. Several governments encouraged residents to return to rural areas that had stronger independent food resources.
Tevita Ratucadre and his wife returned to a rural village in Fiji to save rent and food expenses after being released from the hotel where they worked because of COVID-19.
In the city, “you have to buy everything with money, even if you have to put food on the table,” said Ratucadre. “In the village you can grow your own things.”
Having seen his parents cultivate when he was a child, Ratucadre said he could remember how to plant and grow cassava with a neighbor. He now grows enough food for his family, he said.
“When I worked, I bought what I wanted to eat when I went to the supermarket,” he said. “Now I have to plant and eat everything I planted.”
Mervyn Piesse, research manager at Australian institute Future Directions International, said it was too early to know what the potential health benefits might be, but regional diets could shift from imports to more fresh food, even after the pandemic.
“I think there is a movement in parts of the Pacific for people to really start thinking, ‘If we can grow food during a global pandemic, why can’t we do the same thing in normal times?'” Piesse said.
Waqa said she has already made up her mind – although she started working again, she taught her older children to tend the garden and harvest while she is away.
“Now I save money on food, I know where my food comes from and I feel more secure about having food,” she said. “I don’t want to go back to how things were before.”
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