Evaluating Food Security in South Caicos

Taylor Fitzgerald, Anna Janetos, Juliette Lee, Margaret Fossand, Michelle Delgado, Jahna Brooks, Macey Rafter,

Kassie Shannon

Dr. Alastair Smith

Global Food Security

• Food security exists when all people, at all times have:

1) Physical, social, and economic access to sufficient2) Safe and nutritious food 3) Dietary needs and food preferences for an active and

healthy life (FAO 2016)

• Globally 795 million people suffer from food insecurity (FAO 2015)

Sustainable Development (SD)

Economics

EnvironmentSociety & Culture

Island Nations

Challenges for Sustainable Development:

– Small but rapidly growing populations

– Limited Resources– Remoteness– Excessive dependence on

international trade– Fragile physical environments

Import & Export Dependency

• Dependency Theory – Flow of resources from dominant to subordinate

• Eco-dependency• Bulk of TCI fishing activity takes place around South

Caicos (Bene and Tewfik 2001)

Agriculture• Poor soil quality • Limited fresh water• Lack of resources

Poverty

• 12.9% of the global population is malnourished

• 29% of households had trouble paying for food in 2012 (Halcrow Group Limited 2014)

Economic

Political Social

Health and Education

• Obesity– 1 out of 6 children—roughly 100 million—in

developing countries is underweight (The Lancet, 2013)

• Malnutrition– Poor nutrition causes nearly half (45%) of deaths

in children under five—3.1 million children each year (WHO, 2012)

• Nutrition education can combat both (Sharma 2006)

Overarching Research Questions

• To what extent is South Caicos food secure?• How has the island been fed over time?• What are the roles of fisheries and agricultural

in feeding the island?• Are people culturally satisfied with the food

options?• Does the food support a healthy life?

Materials and Methods – Data Collection

• Three groups consisting of 9-10 members

• Each group assigned 3 days to conduct interviews

• Roughly 6 interviews were conducted per day

• Total of 27 members of the South Caicos

community were interviewed

Materials and Methods – Data Collection

• During each interview, notes were taken

• Interviews were recorded, with permission

• Recording was transcribed later in the day

• Turned into Principle Investigator

• Later given to Co-Investigators for analysis

Materials and Methods – Data Collection

• Participants surveyed after interviews

• Questions covered:

– Personal diet

– Access to food

– Demographics

Materials and Methods – Data Analysis

• Commons themes amongst interviews

• Compiled cohesive narrative about food security

on South

Materials and Methods - Limitations

• Culture and language barrier

• Differences in interpretation

• Availability of participant

• Sample of participants biased

Feelings on Food Importation

• People wish they were more food independent

• Would like to have more locally grown food

• Government assistance would be appreciated

MICHELLE

Local Food Sustainability• Salty soil • Islanders grow fruits and vegetables• Limited knowledge of food

importation• Stores inconsistently have

expensive, unhealthy foods• Local fish consumption• Shop in Provo/buy produce from

Dominican boat• Limited agricultural curriculum

Food Importation and its Effect on Nutrition

• Nutritional food is expensive• Fresh food doesn’t travel well• Survey results– Not enough fruits and vegs per day– Access to enough fruits and vegs but not fresh

• To improve diets, improve access to nutritious foods

KASSIE

Food Security in South Caicos

• What are the nutritional values of the food?

• Cultural values?• What are the main sources of protein?• How does the food affect public health?

ANNA

Main Findings

• Nutritional value is poor • Cultural values are deep-rooted • Main sources of protein are imported meat• Unhealthy food causes public health to decline

Socio-Economic Lens

• Goal was to evaluate how food security is effected by:– Age – Income– Occupation– Social Class

• Find alternative ways to make food more available• Do not receive enough nutrition

– Income– Prices of food

MACEY

Results• Process of acquiring food financial and physical

burdens• Difficulties paying for other expenses because of

high food prices• Wealthier individuals able to travel from island to

island Greater access to food• Two major groups affected: elders and younger

generation (15-24)– Transportation– Nutrition & Health– Accessibility

Food Education in Schools

• Low malnutrition in kids in the Caribbean (CFNI, 2011)

• 1 in 3 TCI teens were obese or vulnerable to obesity between 2008 and 2010 (PAHO, 2012)

• TCI given lowest negative score in Caribbean nutritional education review (Symss, 2015)

• Goal of Study: Assess current efforts to improve eating habits and food accessibility to children on South Caicos

JAHNA

Student Lunch Options• Ira Stubbs Primary School: $2 lunches available• Calvary Christian Primary School: No food provided • Marjorie Basden High School: No food provided

Bringing Lunch: Sandwich, Fruit, and ChipsEducator: Rarely bring healthy foods

Buying Lunch: Fried and Curry Chicken White rice

Noodles Pastaliettas

Organizations Providing School Lunches

• Food for Thought TCI• Provide breakfast to primary schools starting in September• Meals: whole-grain cereal, grits with an egg, fruit

• Groove City Foundation• Provide lunches to underprivileged children starting in

September• Meals: Chips and juice or water, fruit sometimes• Not official—waiting to accept donations and sponsorships

Both groups missing education elementTraining educators changes overall environment (Hill et al.

2003)

Seminars and Classes• School Classes– Home Management, Foods, Home Economics– Educator: Nutritional education in school was

lacking

• Parent Education– Ira Stubbs Primary School-parent seminar

“Some of them would adhere to, but some again – I guess they look for the easy way, you just buy some chips and throw it in the bag in the morning, as opposed to making a nice sandwich.”

Finfish Fishery

• “Virtually all commercial fishing” occurs on the Caicos Bank (Cited by Rudd 2003: 149)

– The majority takes place near South Caicos Island (Rudd 2003; Béné & Tewfik 2001)

• To determine factors that influence trade offs between imported goods and local marine resources

• Specifically, the finfish fishery– How are fish utilized on South?– How do fishermen determine which fish to sell and

to whom do they sell their catch?

MARGARET

Results of the Study

• Strictly domestic fishery– (vs. lobster & conch)

• Most profitable catch go to plants, Provo reps.• Other fish for local sale & consumption– Individuals, restaurants, fishermen families, SFS, etc.

• Search for variety; eat imported foods• Unreliable availability of fish

• Key factors = price, preference, & availability

Preferred Fish Types Identified in Interviews with Residents on South Caicos

Factors influencing Protein Consumption

• How does the fishing industry influence choices of protein?

• How have choices changed over time?• What is the role of imported protein?

TAYLOR

Results Key Factors:

Price, availability, and taste preference

• Tourism and exports • Farming • Traditional meats

Deconstructing the Triple Bottom Line and the Shared-Governance of Seafood Consumption:

Substitution of Endangered Queen Conch for Invasive Red Lionfish

Economic Sphere

Environmental Sphere

Governance Theme

Socio-cultural Sphere

JULIETTE

Results

• Lionfish– Lack of education– Lack of resources

• Queen Conch– Problem of Dependency and Eco-

dependency – Prioritizing profit over culture

Informants’ thought-processes brought about the idea that the three spheres of sustainability in addition to governance

cannot be separated into categories

Overall Conclusions

• South Caicos is not completely food secure– Food doesn’t fulfill definition of “food secure”

• Food environment must change in long term• Difficult to conclude for queen conch because

it is hard to prioritize culture over profit

Overall Recommendations• Government assistance for local food production– Environmental and educational investment – Fertilizers and developing better soil

• Government regulation of food system and transportation

• Nutritional educational efforts should be coordinated

• More education on difference between venomous and poisonous (lionfish)

• More education about government resources

Future Research

• Identifying local potential farmers• Surveys of existing fish abundances to monitor

and manage the fish populations – Snappers and Grunts

• Quantitative data on caloric and nutritional values of food

• Quantitative data on health (nutrient levels, BMI, etc.)

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Professor Alastair Smith for his advice and support, the School for Field Studies for support and access to research equipment, the students and staff who conducted and participated in the interviews, and the residents of South Caicos for answering our questions.

Bibliography• Béné, C., & Tewfik, A. (2001). Fishing Effort Allocation and Fishermen's Decision

Making Process in a Multi-Species Small-Scale Fishery: Analysis of the Conch and Lobster Fishery in Turks and Caicos Islands. Human Ecology, 29(2), 157-186. Retrieved from http://0-www.jstor.org.oasys.lib.oxy.edu/stable/4603392

• Caribbean Food and Nutrition Institute. (2011). The Contribution of CFNI to Caribbean Development: 2001-2010.

• Halcrow Group Limited (2014) TCI Country Poverty Assessment: Final Report. CPA 2012 Volume 2.

• Hill, J.O., Wyatt, H.R., Reed, G.W., and Peters, J.C. (2003) Obesity and the Environment: Where Do We Go from Here? Science. 299(5608), 853-855.

• Pan American Health Organization. (2012). Health in the Americas, 2012 Edition: Country Volume: Turks and Caicos Islands. Pan American Health Organization.

• Rudd, M. A. 2003. Fisheries landings and trade of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Fisheries Centre Research Reports 11 (6): 149-61.

• Symss, R. (2015) 2007 Port of Spain Summit Compliance: School Meals and Healthy Eating. Global Health Diplomacy Program: University of Toronto.