1 INTRODUCTION

The Fiji Islands are transforming from polyculture to commercially oriented monoculture farming systems (McGregor 2020). The issue of food security has emerged as a major concern, exacerbated by vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters. The COVID‐19 crisis has exposed high dependence on imported processed food, which has resulted in problems like hidden hunger and non‐communicable diseases. The pandemic has also changed people's perception of the economic significance of white‐collar jobs and tourism. It has eroded the dependency of the nation on these major industries as people became unemployed instantaneously. As a consequence, Fijians have begun to look inwardly, and their cultural network and family system stand firm during this crisis (McGregor 2005).

Indigenous Fijians are inheritors and practitioners of a unique culture and ways of relating to each other and their environment (Diao et al. 2006). They have retained social, cultural, economic, and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the other societies in which they live (Sisifa et al. 2016). Traditional knowledge and practices of crop farming, their veiwekani (kinship), collective community work, and cultural capital known as solesolevaki (Seruvakula 2000; Vunibola and Scheyvens 2019) have proved to make significant contributions towards sustaining livelihoods. Many cultures continue to depend on traditional practices for their survival and wellbeing (FAO 2011). For instance, the majority of rural and maritime communities in Fiji rely on subsistence agriculture for survival, and the same also applies to other Pacific nations (Veitayaki 2010). Traditional Environmental Knowledge and their socio‐cultural safety net system have ensured food security and wellbeing during the pandemic.

When COVID‐19 started in February 2020, it was predicted that the economy would decline by 10%, in late March, and the Reserve Bank of Fiji announced a 4.5% decline. But in early July, only 3 months after releasing its optimistic outlook, the Reserve Bank raised its forecast by close to six times its original prediction. It now expects the economy to decline by 21.7% (NARUBE 2020). Fiji has never experienced this magnitude of economic decline in its history. Such a reduction will have a dramatic impact on peoples' life. It reaffirms that Fijians should brace for the worse and, more importantly, chart a clear roadmap to limit the effects of the crisis within communities (Unity Fiji 2020).

The purpose of this paper is to highlight realistic stories and events from Indigenous communities in Fiji. These stories describe peoples' experiences and activities that maintain wellbeing and livelihood during this pandemic. Relationship with the communities has been ongoing during field research in 2018; researchers have remained in contact with respondents throughout COVID‐19. Offered here are four scenarios that sketch two main ways in which Indigenous Fijians have responded to the pandemic. First is the inclusion of food security programs in community work structures, and second is the role of veiwekani (kinship) and social safety net as a support mechanism.

The four localities include a family in Nadi town, Bucalevu village in the Nakorotubu district, Ra, Saroni village, and Kirici farm in Dogotuki district in Macuata.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19中的粮食安全：斐济土著社区的见解

1引言

斐济群岛正在从多元文化转变为以商业为导向的单一文化农业系统（McGregor 2020）。粮食安全问题已成为主要问题，对气候变化和自然灾害的脆弱性加剧了这一问题。COVID-19危机暴露了对进口加工食品的高度依赖，这导致了诸如饥饿隐患和非传染性疾病等问题。大流行还改变了人们对白领工作和旅游业的经济意义的认识。随着人们立即失业，它削弱了国家对这些主要产业的依赖。结果，斐济人开始向内看，在这场危机中他们的文化网络和家庭体系坚定不移（McGregor 2005）。

土著斐济人是独特文化的传承者和实践者，以及彼此之间及其与周围环境的联系方式（Diao等，2006）。他们保留了与他们所生活的其他社会截然不同的社会，文化，经济和政治特征（Sisifa等，2016）。事实证明，农作物的传统知识和作法，农作物的亲缘关系，集体社区工作以及被称为solesolevaki的文化之都（Seruvakula 2000 ; Vunibola和Scheyvens 2019）已为维持生计做出了重大贡献。许多文化继续依靠传统习俗来维持其生存和福祉（粮农组织2011）。例如，斐济的大多数农村和海洋社区都依靠自给自足的农业生存，而其他太平洋国家也是如此（Veitayaki 2010）。传统的环境知识及其社会文化安全网络系统确保了大流行期间的粮食安全和福祉。

到2020年2月COVID-19开始运作时，据预测，3月下旬经济将下降10％，斐济储备银行宣布下降4.5％。但是在7月初，仅在发布乐观前景三个月后，储备银行将其预测提高了将近原始预测的六倍。现在，它预计经济将下降21.7％（NARUBE 2020）。斐济历史上从未经历过如此严重的经济衰退。这种减少将对人们的生活产生巨大影响。报告重申，斐济人应做好准备，更重要的是，制定明确的路线图，以限制危机对社区的影响（斐济统一2020）。

本文的目的是突出斐济土著社区的现实故事和事件。这些故事描述了人们在大流行期间维持福祉和生计的经历和活动。在2018年的实地研究期间，与社区的关系一直在持续; 在整个COVID-19中，研究人员一直与受访者保持联系。这里提供了四种方案，它们概述了土著斐济人对大流行作出反应的两种主要方式。首先是将粮食安全计划纳入社区工作结构，其次是veiwekani（血缘关系）和社会安全网作为一种支持机制。

这四个地方包括纳迪镇的一家人，纳科鲁图布区的Bucalevu村，镭，萨罗尼村和马库塔Dogotuki区的基里奇农场。