Presentation Title
Risk and Resilience in Coastal Food Systems: Lessons from the Puerto Rican Dairy Sector since Hurricane Maria
Abstract
The dairy sector within Puerto Rico is an important piece of the local food system with significant impact on the area agricultural economy. However, like other dairy regions (including Vermont), dairy producers in Puerto Rico have struggled to overcome market barriers, declining consumer demands, and restrictive US government policies. Hurricane Maria in 2017 further exposed vulnerabilities within the dairy industry such as poor guidelines from the USDA’s disaster management plans, long-term power outages following the hurricane, and gaps in the distribution and value-chain processing infrastructures. This paper shares the results of interviews and focus group discussions with dairy producers and other stakeholders in the dairy value chain in Puerto Rico, highlighting lessons learned from Hurricane Maria and opportunities to enhance resilience in the dairy sector, and in Puerto Rican food systems more broadly.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Travis Reynolds
Status
Graduate
Student College
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Program/Major
Food Systems
Primary Research Category
Food & Environment Studies
Risk and Resilience in Coastal Food Systems: Lessons from the Puerto Rican Dairy Sector since Hurricane Maria
The dairy sector within Puerto Rico is an important piece of the local food system with significant impact on the area agricultural economy. However, like other dairy regions (including Vermont), dairy producers in Puerto Rico have struggled to overcome market barriers, declining consumer demands, and restrictive US government policies. Hurricane Maria in 2017 further exposed vulnerabilities within the dairy industry such as poor guidelines from the USDA’s disaster management plans, long-term power outages following the hurricane, and gaps in the distribution and value-chain processing infrastructures. This paper shares the results of interviews and focus group discussions with dairy producers and other stakeholders in the dairy value chain in Puerto Rico, highlighting lessons learned from Hurricane Maria and opportunities to enhance resilience in the dairy sector, and in Puerto Rican food systems more broadly.