COVID-19, Food Security and Economic Diversity in Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten

The socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic upon the island states of Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten has exacerbated the need for both economic diversification and the bolstering of food security. This research project seeks to explore how the pandemic has affected local food systems and how sustainable agricultural production can contribute to diversification strategies that will help make the islands pandemic resilient. Central to this project is the participation of local stakeholders and community members in the design of data collection and interpretation. Work Package (WP)1 measures the impact of COVID-19 on the sustainability of food systems and community responses to food security since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. WP 2 explores sustainable economic diversification strategies and food production systems. Together, these will provide important baseline data that can be used to inform evidence-based policy aimed at: 1. increasing local sustainable agricultural development; 2. increasing food and nutrition security; 3. developing innovative small and medium business enterprises supporting agricultural development; 4. building regional consortiums; and 5. promoting economic diversity. The research consortium consists of a research team on all three islands with institutional support from the University of St. Martin, the University of Curaçao Research Institute (UCRI) and the University of Aruba Sustainable Island Solutions through Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (SISSTEM).