Briefs
/ Policy brief
Small Island Developing States Response to COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening the food security, nutrition and climate resilience of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which share many traits, including a reliance on international trade and imported foods; vulnerability to climate change and malnutrition. This brief highlights some of the identified and potential impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on the food systems of SIDS, as well as examples of rapid response measures adopted by SIDS, regional bodies, financing institutions and FAO. It proposes a series of recommendations from policy and fiscal measures to ensure food supply chains are kept alive to actions to meet the needs of the most vulnerable and to boost domestic food production. It suggests a strong role for local governments in coordinating responses and points to opportunities for digitization within the agriculture sector, e-commerce and mobile banking.