Improving Nutrition, Food Security, and Livelihoods with Blue Foods

Indonesia is a major producer of blue foods — animals, plants, and algae harvested from freshwater and marine environments — and has one of the largest populations of people dependent on blue foods. This project will collaborate with the Indonesian government, civil society organizations, and businesses to co-design research and solutions that can help Indonesia capitalize on the potential of blue foods to meet pressing food system priorities to improve nutrition, food security, and livelihoods, including for populations that have historically been marginalized. Specifically, the researchers will analyze national datasets on household consumption, income, and health to identify regions and populations that can most benefit from greater blue food consumption and where access to blue foods will need to increase to meet those goals. The team will also use trade, consumption, and ecological data to quantify where trade patterns may need to shift to make blue foods more available for domestic needs, or where coastal management needs to be strengthened to better support local consumption. In parallel, the researchers will analyze local and national policies to understand how they support or undermine blue food equity and sustainability. These analyses can provide new and powerful tools to help civil society organizations and government create policies that are truly transformative.