Palau’s Agriculture, Food, and Nutrition
What are food system issues?
Most basically, food systems are the different ways that food is produced, sourced, transported, distributed, consumed, and wasted in certain locations or contexts. The United States Department of Agriculture defines food systems as encompassing “the entire range of actors and their interlinked value-adding activities involved in the production, aggregation, processing, distribution, consumption and disposal of food products that originate from agriculture, forestry or fisheries, and parts of the broader economic, societal and natural environments in which they are embedded.”10 This means that food systems encompass but are not limited to: crop production, food policy, food waste, and food labeling.
Food system issues are any problems that result from food systems or that occur within food systems. Food system issues can therefore range anywhere from climate change to widespread lack of access to food.4 Read about all the kinds of food system issues here. A food system issue might be an impact that the food system has on the environment, such as greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural production contributing to climate change. Or, a food system issue might simply be a failure within the food system to properly distribute food to all people, causing hunger and starvation.
So, what food system issues are there in Palau?
Palau’s food system consists primarily of imported goods.9 A big reason for this is the number of tourists that come to Palau, which can range from 90,000 to 140,000 people each year.9 In order to support the number of people that come into Palau, while also supporting Palau’s existing population, agriculture alone is not enough. Most native Palauans do eat locally, with the average Palauan citizen consuming 677 kilos of seafood each year, which is three times the global average.8 Seafood is the primary source of protein in Palau.8 Fish, crabs, and clams are the most commonly consumed types of seafood.11 (See Figure 1.) The most popular kinds of fish to eat are rabbitfish, surgeonfish, parrotfish, and unicornfish.12 In addition to the consumption of food, the exchange and sourcing of local foods like fish and taro are important to native Palauans, as they are a part of Palauan cultural identity and traditional practices.9 Find out more about local Palauan cuisine here.
One of the main problems that Palau’s food system faces is the increasing number of people that it needs to support. Between its growing local population and an increasing number of tourists visiting Palau in recent years, Palau’s current approach of relying on seafood and imports for food security is inadequate.2
The food scarcity issue has been compounded by an increase of urban migration in Palau, which you can read about here, as well as by the impact of climate change on Palau’s fishing sector. The increase of urban migration in Palau has left the fishing industry with less manpower, resulting in less food production.2 At the same time, there has been a gradually decreasing number of fish that are even present to be fished for in Palau, as climate change has altered marine habitats, reduced wild fish populations, and changed water temperatures.8 This means that between a decreasing number of workers who can catch fish and the decreasing number of fish that can be caught, Palau’s oceans are no longer providing a sufficient supply of seafood to meet Palau’s needs.8
As a response to this food scarcity problem, Palau has become dependent on importing foods to maintain food security.3 Palau imports food from the United States, Japan, and Korea.3 However, this only makes the issue worse, as importing contributes to climate change and carbon emissions problems.3 Furthermore, there is no guarantee or way of knowing whether imported foods have been obtained or produced sustainably.
Unfortunately, importing food has many negative effects on Palau. The prices of imports can vary greatly, which has a negative impact on the economics of Palauans and proves to be troublesome for tourists.2 This is because when there is bad weather, there can be delays in the arrivals of ships with imports, which leads to an increase in food prices.2 More importantly, though, importing foods is detrimental to Palau’s economy. In order to support its growing tourism sector, Palau needs to sustain its domestic cash market, through a local exchange of currency.3 But instead, as money is spent abroad, there is not a sufficient amount of local economic activity.3 Read more about other concerns associated with importing food here.
Who are the stakeholders?
An environmental stakeholder is “a person with an interest or concern in environmental activities.”7 It is important to identify stakeholders when addressing an environmental problem, because they are the institutions, people, agencies, or organizations that can affect (and are affected by) the problem. In the case of Palau, we must consider those who have a stake in the various inner workings of and problems related to its food system. Significant stakeholders are: local Palauans (as they are the ones who are bearing the brunt of Palau’s food scarcity problem and facing the economic repercussions associated with importing most of their food), tourists (as they are also impacted by the varying prices of imported goods, depending on the supply and increasing demand), Palau’s Bureau of Tourism (as they would want to improve food security for the benefit of tourists to maintain business and as they would want to maintain and protect Palau’s environment as a “pristine paradise”7 that brings in a lot of its tourists), Palauan restaurants (which would be impacted if food production became local instead of imported), international partners of Palau, such as the U.S., Japan, or Korea3 (as increasing or decreasing imports would have a direct effect on their economies), and Palau’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Environment (as its job is to protect Palau’s environment, while also meeting peoples’ food needs).
What are the solutions?
One solution to Palau’s food systems issues is a strategy that the government of Palau has adopted known as “blue economy powering green growth.”9 This strategy necessitates growing all sectors of Palau’s ocean-based economy and food supply.9 This way, not only would there be environmental protection of the oceans and Palau’s marine life, but there would also be new jobs created and a reinvigorated supply of food, as well as a decreased reliance on imports.9 The strategy calls for increasing innovative and sustainable use of Palau’s Domestic Fishing Zone, in addition to the use of near-shore environments for systems like aquaculture.9
Another solution to Palau’s food systems issues is an initiative that was started by the Palau Biodiversity Project in collaboration with Palau’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Environment.7 The initiative is called the “Buy-Local Initiative,” and it is meant to increase the amount of locally-produced products in local stores in Palau.7 One way that the initiative has worked to increase awareness and popularity of local produce is through an annual Biodiversity Friendly Local Product Showcase, which is “about making biodiversity and environmentally friendly products more mainstream by incorporating them into business practices.”7 (See Figure 2.) The current President of Palau, Surangel Whipps Jr., personally endorsed the showcase, saying “We have to buy products made in Palau by Palauans, so the money circulates within Palau.”7
A third solution to Palau’s food systems issues is a project that was started by the Palauan Government and the Nature Conservancy (TNC).8 The project is to “build a sustainable aquaculture community on the islands, with support from NASA.”8 The project’s partnership with NASA was necessary, because access to NASA satellites was key to determining the best locations in Palau to build aquacultures.8 By using satellite imagery to choose locations for aquacultures, measures could be taken to ensure the proper protection of Palau’s marine environment, while also supporting farming the greatest abundance of fish and shellfish.8 Marine aquaculture is “the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, shellfish, and seaweed, typically within pens or cages in coastal waters.”8 The benefit to aquaculture is that it can be a sustainable alternative to catching wild seafood, as it enables people to keep track of seafood populations and foster reproduction.8 In this way, aquaculture can provide a consistent and reliable source of food for Palau, which is exactly what it has been lacking as it has been relying on the wild for subsistence and commercial food production.8 Aquaculture also avoids the negative impact that fishing can have on marine environments, such as habitat degradation and poor water quality.8 Learn more about aquaculture here.
Are there any barriers to these solutions?
There are a few barriers to Palau’s “blue economy fostering green growth” strategy. The first is that although it motions for positive changes to be made, such as the introduction of new job opportunities for Palauans and a more consistent food supply, it does not specify the practical steps that can be taken to achieve this.9 Rather, it is a more hypothetical solution.9 Another barrier is the potential for there to be an overfishing of Palau’s Domestic Fishing Zone.9 While the strategy itself endorses the sustainable use of the zone, in order to actually meet the demand for food in Palau, it is unlikely that sustainable fishing practices would be sufficient.9
The “Buy-Local Initiative” also has a few barriers. Foremost, the number one barrier it faces is also practicality. Although idealistically a good solution, in action, the initiative does not yet have many applications other than the Biodiversity Friendly Local Product Showcase, which is only annual.7 International trade relations are also a barrier, as if the initiative were to become widely successful, this would mean cutting back on imports from other countries like the United States, Japan, or Korea.3
The Palauan Government and the Nature Conservancy’s aquaculture project faces environmental issues as its predominant barrier. This is because aquaculture, although more sustainable than wild fishing, typically leads to fish being “mass-reared in overcrowded, unnatural conditions.”6 (See Figure 3.) Moreover, aquaculture often involves the use of antibiotics and a reliance on unsustainable ingredients for feeding the fish.5 The project also faces funding as a barrier, as aquaculture can be very expensive to set up.1
So, are these solutions sustainable?
The definition of sustainability that I will use for this analysis is outlined in my Place-Based Project Essay. Please click here to view this definition.
The “blue economy powering green growth” strategy is a well-meaningly sustainable solution. That is, it is in theory a very sustainable solution, but in practice, it does fall a bit short. This is because it is meant to create a sustainable relationship between Palau and its marine environments and life, to decrease a reliance on imports which in turn means a decrease in carbon emissions, and to create job opportunities.2 All of these are positive and meet the terms of our definition of sustainability: to “meet the social and economic needs of present and future generations,” “reduce pollution and “support climate change mitigation,” and “promote equitable opportunity.” Still, the actual application of this strategy is yet to be determined, and there are not many easily measurable indicators for assessing its success, as the definition calls for.
According to our definition, the “Buy-Local Initiative” is a pretty successful sustainability effort. Although it is not necessarily geared towards meeting environmental sustainability, it does work towards social and economic sustainability. By encouraging local businesses and supporting Palau’s economy by keeping currency circulation within the country, the initiative encourages “ethical economic development that promotes equitable opportunity.”7 Also by encouraging locals, the initiative “empowers individual and collective action,” as well as increasing nationalistic pride. Finally, the initiative’s success can be measured by evaluating the economic success of and physical number of local Palauan businesses that sell locally sourced products, which means that it can be “assessed using measurable indicators.”7
Lastly, the Palauan Government and the Nature Conservancy’s aquaculture project meets our criteria for sustainability. The project explicitly states that it aims to “accelerate the achievement of three of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals: life below water, climate action, and good health and well-being.”8 This aligns with the definition’s emphasis on “the extraction and use of resources in ways that maximize renewal, protect and restore the health of natural systems,” the support of “climate change mitigation and/or adaptation,” and the “just protection of human health.” What’s more, the project creates job opportunities, increases local production, and stimulates economic growth, which means it supports “ethical economic development that promotes equitable opportunity and empowers rather than exploits people and the environment.”8 It also meets the “social and economic needs of present and future generations within planetary boundaries,” just as the definition warrants, because aquaculture acts as a sustainable source of food.8
What assets does Palau have with regard to these solutions?
Assets that are mentioned in the “blue economy powering green growth” strategy, the “Buy-Local Initiative,” and the Palauan Government and the Nature Conservancy’s aquaculture project include: Palau’s Domestic Fishing Zone,9 Palau’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Environment,7 the Palau Diversity Project,7 the Palauan Government,8 the Nature Conservancy (TNC),8 and NASA.8
These assets, along with many others, can be viewed here in my asset map.
References
1Cadman, G. (November 22, 2022). Cost-Benefit Analysis of Aquaculture. Giles Cadman Blog. https://www.gilescadman.com/blog/cost-benefit-analysis-of-aquaculture/.
2Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (September, 2008). Country Report on the State of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture: Republic of Palau. FAO. https://www.fao.org/3/i1500e/Palau.pdf.
3Government of Palau. (n.d.). Economic Statistics of Palau. https://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/sap/docs/TCP_Palau.pdf.
4Life Foster. (n.d.). Major challenges of the world food system. https://www.lifefoster.eu/major-challenges-of-the-world-food-system/.
5Moore, T. (January 20, 2023). 10 Pros and Cons of Aquaculture. Resonance. https://www.resonanceglobal.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-aquaculture.
6New Roots Institute. (n.d.). Fish farms: What is fish farming and why is it bad? https://www.newrootsinstitute.org/articles/fish-farms-what-is-fish-farming-and-why-is-it-bad.
7Pacific Island Times News Staff. (December 5, 2022). Palau boosts buy-local initiative. Pacific Island Times. https://www.pacificislandtimes.com/post/palau-boosts-buy-local-initiative.
8Scientia. (September 14, 2021). Protecting Palau’s food security and marine ecology using satellite technology. Scientia Global. https://www.scientia.global/protecting-palaus-food-security-and-marine-ecology-using-satellite-technology/.
9United Nations. (2021). Pathways to sustainable food systems in Palau. https://www.unfoodsystemshub.org/docs/unfoodsystemslibraries/national-pathways/palau/2021-09-17-en-palau-pathways-to-sustainable-food-systems.pdf?sfvrsn=19fbffe9_1.
10USDA. (n.d.). Definitions: sustainability and food systems. https://www.usda.gov/oce/sustainability/definitions#:~:text=The%20UN%20Food%20and%20Agricultural,products%20that%20originate%20from%20agriculture%2C.
11Palau Explorer. (2024). Food of Palau: A Culinary Journey Through the Island Cuisine. https://palaugov.net/food-of-palau-a-culinary-journey-through-the-island-cuisine/.
12Pacific Worlds & Associates. (2003). Fishing. Pacific Worlds Palau-Airai. http://www.pacificworlds.com/palau/sea/fishing.cfm.