Reinforcing Pacific Food Systems for COVID-19 recovery – key impacts, responses and opportunities to build back better

The COVID-19 pandemic has elevated the importance of agriculture in the Pacific Islands for food security and economic development. The crisis has underscored the crucial role of domestic food systems to provide resilience to shocks, livelihood options, self-sufficiency, and insurance against food and nutrition insecurity.

However, remoteness from international markets, populations dispersed across many small islands, heightened vulnerability to climate change, and natural resource constraints pose significant challenges for adapting food systems to cope with the impacts of COVID-19.

As part of the UN response to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on food systems across the Pacific Islands, this report offers a consolidated analysis of pre-COVID food security and nutrition challenges and outlines key actions needed to respond to the current impacts, inform medium- to long-term recovery planning, and better prepare for future crises.

These actions include investing in:

• local food production and consumption to ensure food and nutrition security;
• vulnerable populations to achieve SDG 2 and ensure no one is left behind;
• digital, agricultural and climate-adaptation innovations;
• food systems resilience to shocks and crises;
• the measurement and assessment of recovery needs and progress.