Food Security, Small Island States and Globalazation: The Example of Seychelles

Food security is an issue of global importance that relies not only on local production but also on the timely flow of imports and exports between nations. However, as the Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated, established supply lines are not always reliable in ensuring that food is delivered at the right time and to the right place. For small island states, with a high dependence on imports, this can lead to serious shortfalls, in quality as well as quantity. In this paper, the case is taken of the small island nation of Seychelles to explore whether the present reliance on imports can, at least partially, be reversed. There are relatively easy ways to increase local production – through improvements in traditional farming and the introduction of smart techniques. Increasing the proportion of sustainably-grown food is also possible. It is concluded that a new balance be sought to achieve less reliance on imports, with, perhaps, half of the nation’s food to be provided locally and half from overseas. This might be a formula which other island nations would also wish to consider