Food security policy and coastal climate adaptation among Indigenous and Local Communities

Climate change has impacted the food security of coastal Indigenous and Local Communities (ILCs). The absence of a global-level assessment of ILCs' food security policies limits the ability to make impactful policy decisions. We conducted a systematic literature review to answer three research questions: i) How are food security policies documented regionally and are ILCs incorporated in policy design? ii) What food security-related policy tools are documented and what are their applications? iii) How successful are policy applications and what possible indicators can be recommended to improve policy monitoring? We reviewed 71 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 1990 and 2023. First, we found that while ILCs were mentioned in food security policies, there were no records of ILCs’ direct inclusion in policy design. Second, we synthesized documented food security policies under six policy tools and identified 20 policy applications. Third, we identified social networks and household diversification programs as successful policy applications, with national-level plans and community-based observation networks as policy applications that need improvements. Encouraging policy monitoring, we developed five indicators: i) Annual ILC participation in national-level policy design and policy amendments, ii) ILCs’ access to digital devices and the internet, iii) ILCs’ annual net income, iv) New business opportunities created for ILCs annually, and v) Annual national budgetary allocations to strengthen ILCs' food security. By highlighting the limited attention given to ILCs in food security policy design, identifying weaknesses in policy applications, and recommending indicators, our study provides policymakers with insights into necessary improvements to global-level policy decisions.