Using a random forest model and cluster analysis of a nationally representative data set along with targeted survey data, Seto and colleagues applied access theory to trace the flows of consumptive benefit in a fisheries-based food system. The i-Kiribati people consume ~63 kg of seafood per person per year, which supplies micronutrients including iron, zinc, calcium and vitamin B12 and displaces consumption of animal protein that is high in sodium and fat. Seto and colleagues found that market access is the key mechanism mediating seafood access. However, the households with the highest seafood consumption had lower market access and obtained seafood via home production or gifting — highlighting the importance of social relationships for food and nutrition security.
Seto and colleagues’ findings challenge common assumptions underlying many value chain analyses, which stress the importance of markets as the primary means of obtaining food. Their data demonstrate that local seafood consumption in Kiribati exists under different constraints and contexts. Households consume both high and low levels of local seafood across diverse contexts such as income levels, location and access to technology, demonstrating that consumption of local seafood cannot be assumed based on island or village level characteristics or even household characteristics in isolation. Seto and colleagues identify an important gap in empirical food access studies and demonstrate that moving away from conventional assumptions can illuminate previously underexplored pathways for accessing food — and reveal policy levers for improving food systems in vulnerable populations.
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