Catching Fish in COVID-19 Currents: Food Security and Governance in Rural Communities in Solomon Islands

Abstract

COVID-19 brought several challenges to Solomon Islands, including disruption to food markets, job insecurity, and increased circulation of people from urban to rural areas. Their impacts on food security were evaluated through rapid appraisal with community leaders in Malaita and Western Province. Coastal fisheries continued to provide a key source of food, and community-based resource management held significant capability for adaptation. Agriculture expanded, particularly focusing on traditional root crops. Where women were involved in community-based fisheries management, sustainable solutions were effective. Local fisheries management capacities raised the profile of rural women in fisheries and supported measures that increased capacity in fisheries development and management at the village level, responding to the harmful economic situation in a country where natural hazards are not unusual.