June 2020, Australasia
Food security in the Indo-Pacific following COVID-19
Peter Warr

Of the many forms of suffering resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the possibility of widespread hunger is among the most worrying. The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) — a component of the Australian government’s international development program — has produced a rapid assessment report on food security in the Indo-Pacific. It seeks to understand the effect that COVID-19 may have on food security in the region.

After consulting widely around the Indo-Pacific region, the report produced a qualitative analysis of the pandemic’s impact on food systems. Critically, the report draws attention to the impact of COVID-19 on people movement and the flow-on effects of the crisis for getting agricultural supply to where it’s needed most. It notes that ‘large-scale migration of displaced people is placing pressure on local food and resource systems’. Further, it highlights that ‘transport suspensions and movement restrictions are disrupting the delivery of food and essential agricultural inputs’.