COVID-19: The Impact of a Complex Disaster on Household Food Security in Caribbean SIDS

Abstract

Household food security coping strategies in five Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the Caribbean – Barbados, Belize, Jamaica, The Bahamas, and Trinidad and Tobago – responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in different ways across the countries. This included minimal to small increases in mobility related to groceries and pharmacies above the baseline for Belize, The Bahamas, and Trinidad and Tobago but small decreases in Barbados and Jamaica. Across all countries, there were notable spikes in internet web searches on food preparedness (March to April), with web searches highest in Trinidad and Tobago and lowest in Barbados. A regional food security survey showed a third of respondents across countries reported coping strategies of eating less preferred foods, skipping meals or reducing food intake, but more households in Barbados and Belize experienced food insecurity from lack of market access. Coping strategies involved both emotional and logical responses to the pandemic. Variations in food security reflected local conditions and indicated the need for national response planning for the second and third waves to include interdisciplinary, hazard-specific, and place-based considerations to reduce secondary impacts on household food security.