1
|
Coffin-Schmitt JL, Clements N, Marshall G, Liu L, Trombitas A, Wang Z, Yuan S, Safi AG, Hanson KL, Fiorella KJ. Wild and backyard food use during COVID-19 in upstate New York, United States. Front Nutr 2023; 10:1222610. [PMID: 37731401 PMCID: PMC10507697 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1222610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction COVID-19 acutely shocked both socio-economic and food systems in 2020. We investigated the impact of COVID-19 on production and consumption of gardened produce, backyard poultry, wild game and fish, and foraged mushrooms, berries, and other plants in New York State, aiming to understand crisis influenced food choice and motivations, including food security. Methods We conducted an online, cross-sectional survey in October-December 2020 with a convenience sample of participants (n = 505) with an interest in gardening, poultry rearing, foraging, hunting, and/or fishing from six counties in upstate New York. We recruited through the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and other relevant email and social media pages. Results Across the wild and backyard food production strategies, 4.0-14.3% of respondents reported engaging for the first time and 39.6-45.7% reported increased production (a little or a lot more), and 31.6-42.7% of respondents' production was the same as the previous year. Consumption of foods produced was widespread, including fruit and vegetables (97.6% of producers also consumed), backyard eggs (92.7%), and foraged foods (93.8%). For meats, a majority consumed backyard poultry meat (51.2%), wild-caught fish (69.7%), and wild game they hunted (80.1%). The frequency of consumption of fruit and vegetables (average of 13.5 times/month) and eggs (16.4 times/month) was very high, while average consumption of poultry meat, foraged foods, fish, and wild game ranged from 3.1 to 5.8 times/month. The number of respondents who reported "have more control over food availability" as motivation to produce all wild and backyard foods increased from 2019 to 2020 (p < 0.05 - p < 0.001). There was also a significant relationship between experiences of COVID-19 related hardship (i.e., food insecurity, income loss) with gardening and poultry-rearing (p ≤ 0.05), but not with other production methods or with consumption of wild and backyard foods. Discussion Our findings help to locate wild and backyard foods within COVID-19 impacted food environments, and describe food security as a particularly relevant motivation, among others, reported by respondents in 2020. Given this, New York State service providers can use these findings to tailor current future support for households exerting control over their own food environments with wild and backyard foods, allowing the state to be better prepared for future crises.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeanne L. Coffin-Schmitt
- Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
- Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Nia Clements
- Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Grace Marshall
- Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Lu Liu
- Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Aly Trombitas
- Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Zi Wang
- Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Shuai Yuan
- Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Amelia Greiner Safi
- Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Karla L. Hanson
- Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Kathryn J. Fiorella
- Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Pickering K, Pearce T, Manuel L, Doran B, Smith TF. Socio-ecological challenges and food security in the 'salad bowl' of Fiji, Sigatoka Valley. Reg Environ Change 2023; 23:61. [PMID: 37033698 PMCID: PMC10074355 DOI: 10.1007/s10113-023-02059-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
This article examines food security in the Sigatoka Valley, one of the most productive food regions in Fiji, in the context of recent socio-ecological challenges through a case study of Narewa village. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews (n = 25), a fixed question food insecurity experience survey (n = 25), and a free listing exercise about preferred and consumed foods (n = 24). Results revealed that while most households had access to sufficient food, the increased frequency and intensity of droughts, tropical cyclones, and flooding caused almost half to worry about meeting their future food needs. To date, a culture of sharing within the village has helped most households access food but this will likely be inadequate to meet future needs as climate change is projected to impact food production. Given that the foundation of food production in Narewa, like other villages in the valley, relies on the long-term viability of agricultural systems, better focus needs to be placed on the natural resources that form the backbone of these systems such as water availability, soil health, and slope stability and their resilience to anthropogenic and natural stressors. Efforts that focus on protecting and enhancing local ecosystems in light of expected future climate change, combined with greater attention on food storage and the use of resilient crops, and enhancing social cohesion and sharing networks are needed to avoid breaching tipping points in the food system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kerrie Pickering
- Sustainability Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs, QLD 4556 Australia
- Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, Brock University, St. Catharines, Canada
| | - Tristan Pearce
- Sustainability Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs, QLD 4556 Australia
- Department of Geography, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University of Northern British Columbia, 3333 University Way, Prince George, BC 42N 4Z9 Canada
| | - Lui Manuel
- Department of Environment, Nadroga-Navosa Provincial Council, Talenavuruvuru, Lawaqa, P.O. Box 267, Sigatoka, Fiji
| | - Brendan Doran
- Sustainability Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs, QLD 4556 Australia
| | - Timothy F. Smith
- Sustainability Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs, QLD 4556 Australia
- Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, Brock University, St. Catharines, Canada
- SWEDESD, Department of Children and Women’s Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Crona BI, Wassénius E, Jonell M, Koehn JZ, Short R, Tigchelaar M, Daw TM, Golden CD, Gephart JA, Allison EH, Bush SR, Cao L, Cheung WWL, DeClerck F, Fanzo J, Gelcich S, Kishore A, Halpern BS, Hicks CC, Leape JP, Little DC, Micheli F, Naylor RL, Phillips M, Selig ER, Springmann M, Sumaila UR, Troell M, Thilsted SH, Wabnitz CCC. Four ways blue foods can help achieve food system ambitions across nations. Nature 2023; 616:104-112. [PMID: 36813964 PMCID: PMC10076219 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05737-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Blue foods, sourced in aquatic environments, are important for the economies, livelihoods, nutritional security and cultures of people in many nations. They are often nutrient rich1, generate lower emissions and impacts on land and water than many terrestrial meats2, and contribute to the health3, wellbeing and livelihoods of many rural communities4. The Blue Food Assessment recently evaluated nutritional, environmental, economic and justice dimensions of blue foods globally. Here we integrate these findings and translate them into four policy objectives to help realize the contributions that blue foods can make to national food systems around the world: ensuring supplies of critical nutrients, providing healthy alternatives to terrestrial meat, reducing dietary environmental footprints and safeguarding blue food contributions to nutrition, just economies and livelihoods under a changing climate. To account for how context-specific environmental, socio-economic and cultural aspects affect this contribution, we assess the relevance of each policy objective for individual countries, and examine associated co-benefits and trade-offs at national and international scales. We find that in many African and South American nations, facilitating consumption of culturally relevant blue food, especially among nutritionally vulnerable population segments, could address vitamin B12 and omega-3 deficiencies. Meanwhile, in many global North nations, cardiovascular disease rates and large greenhouse gas footprints from ruminant meat intake could be lowered through moderate consumption of seafood with low environmental impact. The analytical framework we provide also identifies countries with high future risk, for whom climate adaptation of blue food systems will be particularly important. Overall the framework helps decision makers to assess the blue food policy objectives most relevant to their geographies, and to compare and contrast the benefits and trade-offs associated with pursuing these objectives.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice I Crona
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere, Royal Swedish Academy of Science, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Emmy Wassénius
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere, Royal Swedish Academy of Science, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Malin Jonell
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere, Royal Swedish Academy of Science, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - J Zachary Koehn
- Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Rebecca Short
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Tim M Daw
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Christopher D Golden
- Dept. of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Dept. of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Dept. of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jessica A Gephart
- Dept. of Environmental Science, American University, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Simon R Bush
- Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ling Cao
- School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - William W L Cheung
- Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Jessica Fanzo
- Bloomberg School of Public Health, Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University, Washington DC, USA
- Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Stefan Gelcich
- Instituto Milenio en Socio-Ecologia Costera, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Avinash Kishore
- International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), New Delhi, India
| | - Benjamin S Halpern
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | | | - James P Leape
- Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - David C Little
- Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Fiorenza Micheli
- Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Hopkins Marine Station, Oceans Department, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - Rosamond L Naylor
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Center on Food Security and the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth R Selig
- Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Marco Springmann
- Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - U Rashid Sumaila
- Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Max Troell
- Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere, Royal Swedish Academy of Science, Stockholm, Sweden
- Beijer Institute of Ecological Economics, Royal Swedish Academy of Science, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Colette C C Wabnitz
- Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Okronipa H, Bageant ER, Baez J, Onyango HO, Aura CM, Fiorella KJ. COVID-19 experiences of small-scale fishing households: The case of Lake Victoria, Kenya. Front Sustain Food Syst 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2022.987924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
IntroductionThe impact of COVID-19 on small-scale fishing communities is of great concern given the importance of aquatic foods in trade, nutrition and livelihoods. Using a case study of Lake Victoria, augmented by published literature, we examine the socioeconomic dynamics and severity of COVID-19 impacts on Kenyan fishing communities.MethodsA household level questionnaire was administered through phone interviews on a monthly basis from June 2020 to May 2021, including a focus group discussion in July 2021.ResultsWe find that multifold fear of COVID-19 infection and control measures were present and varied across case rates and stringency of control measures. Fishers and traders reported being affected by disease control measures that limited market access and their ability to fish overnight. In spite of these worries, and contrary to what has been reported in the published literature regarding impacts observed in the early months of the pandemic, we see stable participation in fishing and fish trading over time despite the pandemic. Food insecurity was high before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, but did not substantially shift with the pandemic.ConclusionOur findings suggest that Kenyan fishing and fish trading households adopted diverse strategies to cope and balance generating income to provide for their families and staying safe. Our results underscore the need to understand ways in which acute pandemic impacts evolve over time given that effects are likely heterogeneous across small-scale fishing communities.
Collapse
|
5
|
McClanahan TR, Azali MK, Kosgei JK. Fish catch responses to Covid-19 disease curfews dependent on compliance, fisheries management, and environmental contexts. Mar Policy 2022; 144:105239. [PMID: 35911785 PMCID: PMC9314266 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2022.105239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The responses of small-scale coastal fisheries to pauses in effort and trade are an important test of natural resource management theories with implications for the many challenges of managing common-pool resources. Three Covid-19 curfews provided a natural experiment to evaluate fisheries responses adjacent a marine reserve and in a management system that restricted small-mesh drag nets. Daily catch weights in ten fish landings were compared before and after the curfew period to test the catch-only hypothesis that the curfew would reduce effort and increase catch per unit effort, per area yields, and incomes. Interviews with key informants indicated that fisheries effort and trade were disrupted but less so in the gear-restricted rural district than the more urbanized reserve landing sites. The expected increase in catches and incomes was evident in some sites adjacent the reserve but not the rural gear restricted fisheries. Differences in compliance and effort initiated by the curfew, changes in gear, and various negative environmental conditions are among the explanations for the variable catch responses. Rates of change over longer periods in CPUE were stable among marine reserve adjacent landing sites but declined faster after the curfew in the gear-restricted fisheries. Two landing sites nearest the southern end of the reserve displayed a daily 45 % increase in CPUE, 25-30 % increase in CPUA, and a 45-56 % increase in incomes. Results suggest that recovering stocks will succeed where authorities can achieve compliance, near marine reserves, and fisheries lacking additional environmental stresses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- T R McClanahan
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Marine Programs, Bronx, NY 10460, USA
| | - M K Azali
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Kenya Marine Program, Mombasa, Kenya
| | - J K Kosgei
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Kenya Marine Program, Mombasa, Kenya
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Smith SL, Cook S, Golden A, Iwane MA, Kleiber D, Leong KM, Mastitski A, Richmond L, Szymkowiak M, Wise S. Review of adaptations of U.S. Commercial Fisheries in response to the COVID-19 pandemic using the Resist- Accept- Direct (RAD) framework. Fish Manag Ecol 2022; 29:439-455. [PMID: 35942481 PMCID: PMC9348349 DOI: 10.1111/fme.12567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic transformed social and economic systems globally, including fisheries systems. Decreases in seafood demand, supply chain disruptions, and public safety regulations required numerous adaptations to maintain the livelihoods and social resilience of fishing communities. Surveys, interviews, and focus groups were undertaken to assess impacts from and adaptive responses to the pandemic in commercial fisheries in five U.S. regions: the Northeast, California, Alaska, the U.S. Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands. Fishery adaptation strategies were categorized using the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework, a novel application to understand social transformation in a social-ecological system in response to a disturbance. A number of innovations emerged, or were facilitated, that could improve the fisheries' resilience to future disruptions. Fishers with diversified options and strategic flexibility generally fared better, i.e., had fewer disruptions to their livelihoods. Using the RAD framework to identify adaptation strategies from fishery system actors highlights opportunities for improving resilience of fisheries social-ecological systems to future stressors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Lindley Smith
- School of Environmental and Biological SciencesRutgers UniversityNew BrunswickNew JerseyUSA
| | - Samantha Cook
- Department of Environmental Science and ManagementHumboldt State UniversityArcataCaliforniaUSA
| | - Abigail Golden
- School of Environmental and Biological SciencesRutgers UniversityNew BrunswickNew JerseyUSA
- Abigail Golden, School of Aquatic and Fishery ScienceUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWashingtonUSA
| | - Mia Aiko Iwane
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric ResearchHonoluluHawaiiUSA
- NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science CenterHonoluluHawaiiUSA
| | - Danika Kleiber
- NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science CenterHonoluluHawaiiUSA
| | | | | | - Laurie Richmond
- Department of Environmental Science and ManagementHumboldt State UniversityArcataCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Sarah Wise
- NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science CenterSeattleWashingtonUSA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Tigchelaar M, Leape J, Micheli F, Allison EH, Basurto X, Bennett A, Bush SR, Cao L, Cheung WW, Crona B, DeClerck F, Fanzo J, Gelcich S, Gephart JA, Golden CD, Halpern BS, Hicks CC, Jonell M, Kishore A, Koehn JZ, Little DC, Naylor RL, Phillips MJ, Selig ER, Short RE, Sumaila UR, Thilsted SH, Troell M, Wabnitz CC. The vital roles of blue foods in the global food system. Global Food Security 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gfs.2022.100637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
|