UC Davis

There is growing recognition of the pressing need for food systems transformation towards resilience, particularly in the face of climate change and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic. Pacific Island territories offer valuable perspectives on food system transformation processes during COVID-19 due to their experience with increasing dependency on food imports, rising levels of non-infectious diseases, and the loss of indigenous foodways. Rapa Nui is a remote Pacific Island home to the Rapanui indigenous people, and a special territory of Chile. Rapa Nui isolated itself from the mainland for 2.5 years during the COVID-19 pandemic due to concerns about the effect of the pandemic on its remote population and limited local medical facilities. This research uses participatory approaches to document local knowledge around food system resilience in the agricultural sector in Rapa Nui during COVID-19 and provide recommendations for policymakers and donors to strengthen the local food system. I conducted 13 in-depth interviews with various food system stakeholders, revealing the adverse impact of the pandemic on food security, particularly in its early stages. However, I also observed a remarkable resilience, marked by a resurgence of indigenous Rapanui cultural practices, which played a pivotal role in sustaining food security. I conclude that Rapa Nui’s food system has undergone an accelerated transformation in the last decades characterized by a growing reliance on food imports and a shift towards less nutrient-dense food, resulting in reduced food system resilience. Globalization is identified as a dominant trend at the landscape level that was temporarily – but strongly – counterbalanced during the COVID-19 pandemic. This external shock favored the alignment of diverse forces within the food system guided by cultural revitalization, indicating conducive conditions for sustainable food system transformation. My interviews highlight the need for more coordination among food system stakeholders to address pressing challenges related to water availability, insects and diseases, food safety, dietary change, food access, climate change, and the preservation of traditional species of agricultural value. Based on this research, I recommend policymakers, donors, and other food system stakeholders to take advantage of this opportunity by investing in innovative, multi-stakeholder food system governance structures aligned with indigenous Pasifika cultural values, and by fostering overall food system robustness by increasing agrobiodiversity.