Over the past four years, the changing circumstances of thousands of people in the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean has been closely tracked by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and its partners: the World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). The partners have launched seven rounds of surveys that have followed and analyzed elements of the socio-economic experience of Caribbean people, with a focus on livelihoods, access to food and markets.
The seventh installment of these surveys is available at https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/e2bb120b247745c08844805f2045c1d7 and is currently open until April 28,2024.
The survey builds on data collected in the previous six rounds, highlighting the impact of COVID-19, the cost-of-living crisis, and the effect of natural hazards on food security and livelihoods.
According to the results of the sixth installment of the “Caribbean Food Security and Livelihoods Impact Survey,” conducted in May 2023, reflecting the experiences of 7,870 people across 22 countries and territories. Many respondents reported cost-of-living impacts across all income brackets and virtually all participants noted upsurges in food costs, marking the steepest rise observed in any survey period. The survey unveiled that 42 per cent of households experienced climate-related adversities in the year leading up to the survey.
This year, CARICOM and World Food Programme are asking Caribbean residents to put aside five minutes in their day to share their experience and perspectives.
The survey is open to all residents in CARICOM Member States and Associate Members, as well as Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten until April 28, 2024 and can be accessed at: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/e2bb120b247745c08844805f2045c1d7.
The continued monitoring of the status of food security and livelihoods in the Caribbean is made possible through the support of the Government of Canada, European Union and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA). The information will be used to inform national governments, regional entities and other stakeholders, such as the World Food Programme, filling important data gaps that make policies and programmes better able to meet the varied needs of people throughout the Caribbean.
