Rapa Nui and COVID-19: Opportunities for food system transformation
Document Type
Book
Files
Publication Date
Fall 9-17-2024
Description
There is growing literature supporting the pressing need for food systems transformation towards resiliency, particularly in the face of climate change and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. Pacific Islands offer valuable perspectives on food system transformation processes during COVID-19 considering the increasing dependency on food imports, the rising levels of non-infectious diseases, and the loss of indigenous foodways existent in these territories. Rapa Nui is a remote Pacific Island home of the Rapanui indigenous people who isolated themselves from the mainland for 2.5 years during the COVID-19 pandemic. We drew on participatory approaches to document local knowledge around food system resilience in Rapa Nui during COVID-19 in the agricultural sector and provide specific recommendations for policymakers to strengthen the local food system based on strategies outlined by Leeuwis et al. (2021). We conducted 13 in-depth interviews with various food system stakeholders, revealing the adverse impact of the pandemic on food security, particularly in its early stages. However, we also observed a remarkable resilience, marked by a resurgence of indigenous Rapanui cultural practices, which played a pivotal role in sustaining food security. We conclude that Rapa Nui has undergone an accelerated transformation in the last decades characterized by a growing reliance on food imports and a shift towards less nutrient-dense food, reducing overall food system resilience. Globalization is seen as a dominant trend at the landscape level that was temporary but strongly counterbalanced during the COVID-19 pandemic. This external shock favored the alignment of diverse forces at the niche and dominant food regime guided by strong cultural revitalization, indicating conducive conditions for sustainable food system transformation. Policymakers and food system stakeholders must take advantage of this opportunity by investing in innovative, multi-stakeholder food system governance structures aligned with indigenous Pasifika cultural values, and by fostering system robustness.
City
Burlington, Vermont
Keywords
Food systems transformation, climate change, COVID-19 pandemic, Rapa Nui, food system resilience, food security, cultural revitalization
Recommended Citation
Godoy Harb, Maria J., "Rapa Nui and COVID-19: Opportunities for food system transformation" (2024). Food Systems Summit 2024. 23.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fss2024/23
