Studies show extent of strain to Washington’s food access and food production systems due to COVID-19

OLYMPIA – Two studies commissioned by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) released this week explore how the COVID-19 pandemic affected access to food in Washington, in the areas of both food production and food assistance, and how the state can learn from the pandemic and take advantage of new opportunities. 

The two studies are:

Researchers involved in both studies reviewed existing sources, case studies, and conducted interviews. Both teams also examined how communities made up of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) fared during the pandemic.

“We have known that the COVID-19 pandemic created significant challenges for food producers and those involved in food access, but we wanted to better understand the extent of the impact, and also where there was imbalance,” WSDA director Derek Sandison said. “These studies make it clear that, although many people and organizations have worked diligently for years on hunger relief, there is still work to be done to bring resilience and equity to all aspects of our food systems. My intent is that we use the information these researchers have provided to inform our decision making as we continue to restructure and improve the state’s food security system in the aftermath of the pandemic.”

The UW team found that the disruptions triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic pushed Washington’s food systems close to breaking, but that some unique aspects of our state food assistance and agricultural systems kept them from collapse.

Among the UW team’s findings:

• Food assistance needs increased greatly and required temporary adaptations across all food access channels, due to rapid market shifts, distribution disruptions, logistical and labor challenges, rising operational costs, food shortages, transportation barriers, and other factors.
• Food producers and households alike faced COVID-19 challenges, though the effects were uneven. Some households experienced far greater food insecurity than others.
• The pandemic strained, but did not break Washington’s food production system due to the diverse dimensions of Washington’s food system, real-time innovations and collaborations, high adaptability among producers, strong leadership, and many other factors.
• New food access channels made food more available to hard-to-reach populations, though the reports make clear that specific communities may need targeted attention. 
• Significant opportunities exist for creating a more resilient and economically viable food system by, for instance, improving food access and food security, creating systems that serve specific groups with higher needs, addressing labor and staffing challenges, and making strategic investments.

“The crisis has offered glimpses of what future resilient food systems in Washington State might look like as farmers have networked with one another to create new solutions, as governments have expanded and modified food and nutrition services, as hunger relief organizations have sought to expand free meals and incorporate more culturally relevant foods, as food supply chains have renewed interest in local and regional foods, and as businesses have grappled with improving the health and safety of their workers,” said Jennifer Otten, associate professor and Food Systems Director in the UW School of Public Health and research lead.   “The pandemic has prompted many to imagine how we might use lessons learned from this crisis to prepare for anticipated food system disruptions due to climate change and increased incidence of extreme weather events or to future economic shocks,” said Sarah Collier, assistant professor in the UW School of Public Health and UW research co-lead. “The challenge is to turn system weaknesses into new beginnings. The data and interviews that form the basis for this report point to tangible steps to take.” 

For its study, the WSU worked with a BIPOC leadership group, which lead data collection to examine the impact of the pandemic on people in marginalized communities. 

WSU’s key takeaways included:

• Producers were deeply affected by COVID-19 and pivoted rapidly to adapt. BIPOC farmers and producers, in particular, need more financial and logistical support.
• Food assistance needs increased dramatically and inequities were exacerbated but the formation of new partnerships and creative approaches helped address the growing need.
  • At the same time, WSU researchers found that the systems supporting food production and food access are fragile, relying extensively on unpaid and underpaid labor. 
• Supply chains became stressed and are still evolving. Equity-centered funding is needed to boost supplier and supply chain diversification and capacity building, expand business development opportunities, and increase access to tools to help BIPOC-led efforts thrive. 
• Greater equity in Washington’s food system will take an investment of resources and an increase in BIPOC participation in food system programs and policy-directed interventions. 
• Equitable food system changes will require that efforts center on racial equity, construction of a collaborative infrastructure, and the development of more robust equity assessment tools. 

“Our food system is going to remain completely inequitable until communities of color, especially Black people, are in positions of power,” the study’s project lead Mercy Kariuki-McGee said. “BIPOC’s presence in developing components of the Washington food system has to be felt broadly. Inclusion is not a model that we can follow anymore. Full equity in resources and full trust in the potential of BIPOC to gain ownership within the food system is the only means of empowering BIPOC’s voice in eradicating food insecurity.”

Both studies are available on the WSDA Focus on Food webpage.