Assessing the performance of a local food system utilising a systems approach: a case study of El Nido, Palawan (Philippines)

Food security is a complex, multidimensional issue with multiple environmental, social, political and economic determinants.  Food security is conceptualised as a dynamic outcome of a food system.  Achieving sustainable food security, whilst not harming the social and biophysical environment is now recognized as one of the world’s largest and most complex challenges.Much of the debate on food security to-date is focused at the global level and in particular, on the supply or production of food, as the mechanism to provide food security in the future.  However, food security is very much a local issue with food insecurity occurring at the household or individual level where access to food is highly dependent on livelihoods and income generation.  Adverse conditions including low food availability, high undernourishment, high population growth and poor land and water resources contribute towards food insecurity at the local level.  A detailed case study investigation of the Municipality of El Nido in the province of Palawan, Philippines, adds value to the models and discussions at the global level through detailed examination of the causes leading to food security at the local level.   Utilising a system dynamics methodology, this study evaluated the localised food system through analysing scenarios to: (i) identify points within the system in which it can no longer produce food or provide the population with the ability to procure food and; (ii) assess its ability to continue to function effectively and deliver on food security outcomes over a 35-year timeframe to 2050.The research shows that as the local community moves away from the traditional localised production and livelihood systems of agriculture and fisheries, these communities are left significantly at risk as their availability and access to food declines.  Key findings reveal a system vulnerable to pressures placed upon the food system and one which lacks the resilience or capacity to continue providing food availability and access over time.  In particular, the analysis reveals the food system has reached or exceeded its ‘tipping point’.  Interventions tested in the study reveal there is little to no impact on reversing the declines in the system, or in bringing the system back into balance whereby food security, economic growth and natural resources co-exist in a sustainable manner.There is a critical need to examine and manage local food systems through focusing on enabling capacities and protection of food systems and the ecosystems which underpin them.  This is particularly important for rural areas in developing countries in which agriculture and fisheries provide critical lifelines for food security and livelihoods at the local level.  Furthermore, the research links the importance of social and environmental welfare to the resilience and sustainability of food systems. Lastly, it highlights the need for governments to focus on food security as a priority and ensure policies and practical actions are implemented at a ‘whole-of-system’ level, to reduce the vulnerability of the food system to pressures and future shocks.