Farrell Penny, Thow Anne Marie, Wate Jillian Tutuo, Nonga Nichol, Vatucawaqa Penina, Brewer Tom, Sharp Michael K, Farmery Anna, Trevena Helen, Reeve Erica, Eriksson Hampus, Gonzalez Itziar, Mulcahy Georgina, Eurich Jacob G, Andrew Neil L
Menzies Centre for Health Policy, Level 2, Charles Perkins Centre (D17), Sydney School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006 Australia.
WorldFish, Honiara, Solomon Islands.
Food Secur. 2020;12(4):783-791. doi: 10.1007/s12571-020-01087-y. Epub 2020 Jul 20.
The unfolding COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerability of the Pacific food system to externalities and has had far-reaching impacts, despite the small number of COVID-19 cases recorded thus far. Measures adopted to mitigate risk from the pandemic have had severe impacts on tourism, remittances, and international trade, among other aspects of the political economy of the region, and are thus impacting on food systems, food security and livelihoods. Of particular concern will be the interplay between loss of incomes and the availability and affordability of local and imported foods. In this paper, we examine some of the key pathways of impact on food systems, and identify opportunities to strengthen Pacific food systems during these challenging times. The great diversity among Pacific Island Countries and Territories in their economies, societies, and agricultural potential will be an important guide to planning interventions and developing scenarios of alternative futures. Bolstering regional production and intraregional trade in a currently import-dependent region could strengthen the regional economy, and provide the health benefits of consuming locally produced and harvested fresh foods - as well as decreasing reliance on global supply chains. However, significant production, processing, and storage challenges remain and would need to be consistently overcome to influence a move away from shelf-stable foods, particularly during periods when human movement is restricted and during post-disaster recovery.
尽管到目前为止记录的新冠病毒病例数量较少，但不断蔓延的新冠疫情已暴露出太平洋地区粮食系统易受外部因素影响的脆弱性，并产生了深远影响。为减轻疫情风险而采取的措施对旅游业、汇款和国际贸易以及该地区政治经济的其他方面产生了严重影响，进而影响到粮食系统、粮食安全和生计。特别令人担忧的将是收入损失与本地和进口食品的供应及可承受性之间的相互作用。在本文中，我们研究了对粮食系统产生影响的一些关键途径，并确定了在这些充满挑战的时期加强太平洋地区粮食系统的机会。太平洋岛国和领土在经济、社会及农业潜力方面存在的巨大差异，将成为规划干预措施和制定替代未来情景的重要指南。在一个目前依赖进口的地区加强区域生产和区域内贸易，可以增强区域经济，并带来食用本地生产和收获的新鲜食品的健康益处，同时减少对全球供应链的依赖。然而，仍然存在重大的生产、加工和储存挑战，需要持续加以克服，以推动减少对耐储存食品的依赖，特别是在人员流动受限期间和灾后恢复期间。
