Pond Island:--- On 31 May, the University of St. Martin, the University of Curaçao, and the University of Aruba will launch their consortium research project COVID-19, Food Security and Economic Diversity in Curaçao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten in a virtual inter-island webinar where stakeholders, interested parties and the public can participate. The research project, which is sponsored by the Dutch health and biomedical research council ZonMw, examines the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food chain within small island communities.
Food security on the islands primarily dependent on tourism was an issue affecting communities prior to the COVID-19 pandemic but became more obvious to the communities as supply chains were disrupted in the Caribbean region. The small (arable) land area and high population density, combined with the pressures of tourism, make it impossible to reach the full food need based on a conventional approach. Currently, dependence on external food producers is unavoidable, partly in view of the continuity of high-quality food supplies. However, this does not mean that it is not possible to partially meet food needs through local food production. Its development can contribute to the much-needed diversification of the economy in these small island communities. Economic diversity, balance with nature, and good health are important focal points.
The COVID-19 Food Security and Economic Diversity research project in Curaçao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten is being carried out on behalf of ZonMw by three Caribbean Universities, namely the University of Curaçao (UoC); the University of Aruba (UA); the University of St. Martin (USM). A project coordinator is active within each institution and a principal investigator has been appointed. In Curaçao, Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Echteld, Director of the University of Curaçao Research Institute (UCRI) is the research coordinator and Benjamin Visser MSc has been appointed as principal investigator. In Aruba, Dr. Eric Mijts, coordinator of Sustainable Island Solutions through STEM (SISSTEM) and Coordinator of the University of Aruba Research Center, is the research coordinator for the ZonMw project with Rendell de Kort as principal investigator. On Sint Maarten, the project is coordinated by Professor Dr. Antonio Carmona Báez, who is also Rector of the University of St. Martin, with Eugène Hoogstad as principal investigator.
ZonMw is a partnership between the organization Zorg Onderzoek Nederland (Zon) and the field of Medical Sciences (Mw) of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). ZonMw, located in The Hague, presents itself as an institution that encourages the use of knowledge gained through health research. It is important that the research results obtained promote knowledge development in the field of health care.
This joint research will examine how the COVID-19 pandemic has led to changing patterns in community-based local food production initiatives and how these can contribute to innovative economic diversification strategies to increase resilience to pandemics and other threats to the welfare of the concerned communities. Whenever these tourism-based economies grind to a halt due to external shocks (e.g. Covid-19) and as the islands are heavily dependent on imports (Aruba almost 100%, Curaçao and Sint Maarten about 95%), hunger and malnutrition increase their entry into everyday life on a larger scale than before COVID-19. Currently, larger segments of the population are becoming increasingly dependent on food donations and charities.
In Sint Maarten, Curaçao and Aruba, the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly exposed pre-existing patterns and structures of social inequality, inequality and poverty. More than ever, the need for economic diversification to absorb exogenous shocks has become clear in all island states of the Caribbean Netherlands. A community-based participatory research approach (CBPR) will be used to conduct the research. CBPR is a partnership approach to research in which community members, organizational representatives, researchers, and others are equitably involved in all aspects of the research process, with all partners in the process contributing expertise and sharing in decision-making and ownership. The aim of CBPR is to increase knowledge and understanding of a particular phenomenon and integrate the acquired knowledge with policy or social change interventions that benefit community members. This study aims to investigate shifting patterns in community-based local food production initiatives and how they can contribute to innovative economic diversification strategies to increase resilience to pandemics.
By involving local stakeholders, in surveys, interviews, and focus groups, knowledge is gathered about food production and availability, economic impact, and employment in the sector as well as nutritional practices in the communities on the islands. This data collection provides a picture of the resilience of the three islands with regard to the food chain and the associated potential for economic diversification. The project implementers also point out that input and feedback are needed from experts, leaders of the industry, importers, supermarket chains, farmers, and citizens.
The three universities hope that the webinar will increase the interest, willingness, and cooperation with the aforementioned stakeholders so that it will be possible to gain a better insight into the current state of affairs and future opportunities to strengthen our food security on the three islands. For more information, please see the USM website.
