Underhill Steven J R, Patolo Soane, Molimau-Samasoni Seeseei, Kumar Salesh, Burkhart Sarah
Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Queensland, Australia.
Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa, Apia, Samoa.
Agric Food Secur. 2023;12(1):1. doi: 10.1186/s40066-023-00406-8. Epub 2023 Mar 3.
When the global COVID-19 pandemic and state of emergency was declared in early 2020, South Pacific Island nations rapidly closed their borders resulting in significant socio-economic upheaval. With the South Pacific region highly vulnerable to external shocks, there was concern amongst Pacific governments and international donors as to the implications of COVID-19 restrictions on the local food system.
Horticultural farmers and market vendors ( = 825) were surveyed in Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa, using local enumerators, over a five-month period (July to November 2020), which represented the initial phase of COVID-19 restrictions in the region. Data were disaggregated based on location, farmer and vendor impacts, and postharvest loss.
Farmers in Fiji (86%) were more likely to experience difficulties in selling their crops during the initial stages of COVID-19 restrictions, compared to farmers on the smaller Pacific Island nations of Tonga (10%) or Samoa (53%). While market vendors in Fiji (73.2%) and Tonga (56.8%) were similarly impacted, few vendors (22%) in Samoa were affected. Farmers and market vendors on the islands of Viti Levu (Fiji) and Upolu (Samoa), specifically those supplying or located in the key urban centres were more likely to experience elevated postharvest loss. Elevated postharvest loss due to COVID-19 was more prevalent amongst municipal market vendors, peri-urban farms and vendors sourcing from larger commercial farms. Road-side vendors and vendors in the rural areas were less likely to incur elevated loss.
While fresh horticultural food systems in Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa were all adversely effected by COVID-19 restrictions, these impacts were more acute in Fiji. Given value chains associated with main urban centres were more likely to incur elevated postharvest loss, this would imply consumers were avoiding town centres and alternatively sourcing fresh fruit and vegetable from rural road-side vendors. Pacific road-side vendors appear to have provided an important fresh food distribution capacity during local COVID-19 travel restrictions.
2020年初全球宣布新冠疫情大流行和进入紧急状态时，南太平洋岛国迅速关闭边境，导致社会经济发生重大动荡。由于南太平洋地区极易受到外部冲击的影响，太平洋各国政府和国际捐助者担心新冠疫情限制措施对当地粮食系统的影响。
在2020年7月至11月的五个月期间，利用当地普查员对斐济、汤加和萨摩亚的园艺农民和市场摊贩（n = 825）进行了调查，这代表了该地区新冠疫情限制措施的初始阶段。数据按地点、农民和摊贩的影响以及收获后损失进行了分类。
与汤加（10%）或萨摩亚（53%）等较小的太平洋岛国的农民相比，斐济的农民（86%）在新冠疫情限制措施的初始阶段更有可能在销售作物方面遇到困难。虽然斐济（73.2%）和汤加（56.8%）的市场摊贩受到了类似影响，但萨摩亚很少有摊贩（22%）受到影响。维提岛（斐济）和乌波卢岛（萨摩亚）上的农民和市场摊贩，特别是那些供应或位于主要城市中心的，更有可能经历较高的收获后损失。由于新冠疫情导致的收获后损失增加在市政市场摊贩、城郊农场以及从大型商业农场采购的摊贩中更为普遍。路边摊贩和农村地区的摊贩遭受更高损失的可能性较小。
虽然斐济、汤加和萨摩亚的新鲜园艺粮食系统都受到了新冠疫情限制措施的不利影响，但这些影响在斐济更为严重。鉴于与主要城市中心相关的价值链更有可能承受较高的收获后损失，这意味着消费者正在避开市中心，转而从农村路边摊贩那里采购新鲜水果和蔬菜。在当地新冠疫情出行限制期间，太平洋地区的路边摊贩似乎提供了重要的新鲜食品配送能力。
