Food sovereignty and climate resilience through regional development assistance programs: insights from the Pacific region

The food systems of the Pacific islands boast a long and complex history. Geography, culture, politics, and economics have each shaped the several significant changes in methods of food production and distribution in the region since its inhabitation. Today, as the region grapples with adverse impacts of climate change and social consequences of imperialism, new pursuits to re-establish domestic control over food have arisen. As central political and economic actors in the region, development partners are expected to be crucial actors. The purpose of this paper is to determine the extent to which foreign development programs in the Pacific region are aligned toward their food sovereignty. Through textual analyses of several key documents related to the Pacific development programs of Australia and New Zealand, we find that alignment is only present where it benefits their domestic interests or is an expectation of mainstream development paradigms. As such, this study builds on existing critiques of the Australasian development programs with a focus on food systems and widens the scope of food sovereignty analysis to consider the interrelation between trade and development within the Pacific context. Findings on ongoing challenges identified by using the food sovereignty framework highlight key gaps to be addressed in the near future for climate resilient communities.