Australian Food Insecurity Spikes in the Time of Wildfires and Covid-19

Nov 9

Photo Credit © Benjamin Lizardo on Unsplash.

The wildfires of the 2019-20 Australian winter season struck with an unfamiliar deadliness. In what has been dubbed one of the ‘worst wildlife disasters in modern history,' the Australian wildfire crisis is nothing short of apocalyptic. [FN1] The BBC has reported that the eight-month-long bushfires ravaged more than 11 million hectares of land, caused the death of three billion wild and livestock animals and more than 30 human deaths, and also burned down about 2,000 homes, leaving thousands of people displaced.[FN2] Wildfires burned intensely while Covid-19 infections were experiencing their own spikes of infections and deaths in March and August 2020. [FN3]

Australia is no stranger to seasonal burns, but before these wildfires and the economic disruption brought by Covid-19, Australia was seen as a wealthy country with minimal food insecurity challenges, restricted to just four percent of its population. [FN4]

Certain communities have been impacted severely by COVID-19, among them the 653,539 international students in Australia for the 2019/2020 school year. [FN5] Foreign students who had already worked for a year were able to access their superannuation funds, but it was different for the students who arrived in Australia just before the arrival of Covid-19. They were unable to attend classes or eat low-cost meals on campus, unable to go home because of border closure or lack of resources, unable to find work locally, and ultimately unable to earn the rent for their basic shelter. These mainly Chinese, Indian and Nepalese students have in many cases become homeless and some were reported to be starving. Their cluster was initially not a priority of the government but a clear signal about the precarious state of this group was sent in June 2020, when thousands of international students lined up in the rain to obtain food vouchers from the Victoria state government. [FN6]

Impacts on the Food Chain

Fourteen percent of the expanse of land that burned was agricultural land, significantly disturbing the Australian food chain. [FN7] The period leading up to the fires had been Australia’s driest on record, putting crop yields at a 3-year low and making animal feed harder to come by. According to the Australian Agriculture Minister, losses of reared livestock alone are estimated at 100,000 head, putting the meat and dairy industries at significant risk and amplifying food insecurity in the country. [FN8]

Although farmers are gradually resettling in their farming communities, what they have had to face on their return is unimaginable: total destruction of field crops and seedlings, ashen carcasses of wild and domestic animals in addition to burned-down buildings, infrastructure, equipment and tools. Bringing Australia’s farms back into operation in the affected areas is a daunting and priority issue. Australia is an important exporter of frozen beef, lamb and goat meat as well as wheat, rice and cereal-based animal feeds.[FN8] Australia might seem remote, but the commodity traders and consumers worldwide are directly and indirectly affected by this natural disaster.

Actions

1. Government programs

Just as the Australian government has been dropping off food for surviving wild animals in burned habitats [FN9], Australian wildfire victims are also receiving government support: in addition to financial aid, the government is handing out food vouchers to citizens in dire need.[FN10]

To guarantee food security in the long run, the government has launched aid initiatives to enable farms to bounce back as fast as possible. Financial support is being extended to affected farmers, fishers, and foresters through the newly established National Bushfire Recovery Agency, with the federal government awarding AUS $75,000 rebuilding grants.[FN11] A further AUS$100m recovery fund is expected to be disbursed by each state government to speed up the rebuilding.

2. Civil Society Interventions

The Australian Red Cross (ARC) has launched disaster relief and recovery initiatives to support wildfire victims. Thanks to the generosity of domestic and international donors, ARC distributes food aid to displaced families, helping them re-establish themselves in areas where food on the table is guaranteed. This is one among many other humanitarian measures enabled by the AUS $232 million collected since July 2019. [FN12] In April 2020, ARC launched its emergency relief support for international students. This support helps these stranded students meet basic needs such as food, water and shelter. If you would like to support ARC‘s relief effort, here is the donation link:

Donate to Australian Red Cross

Foodbank Australia is one of the largest relief organizations working to ensure food security for Australians made vulnerable by the wildfires and Covid-19. Foodbank’s food pantry houses more than 70 percent of the food salvaged globally for relief initiatives. By March 2020, more than 470,000 kilos (518 tons) of food and groceries had been delivered to bushfire-affected areas. [FN13] Pre-wildfires and lockdowns, Foodbank’s monthly service average was 815,000 meals a month but the demand from international students drove a 50 percent increase to 1.2 million meals. [FN14] Foodbank donation collection centers can be reached at:

For Victoria (Donate Food to Foodbank Australia)
or
For New South Wales ( Donate Funds to Foodbank Australia)

Founded in 2015, Turbans 4 Australia is a Sikh charity that provides help to anyone in need in Australia regardless of race, religion or origin. After requests for help from over 700 students, the organization serves 600 meals daily to international students in need across Australia. [FN15] If you would like to support their work, email them at turbans4australia@gmail.com.

OzHarvest (OH) is an NGO that rescues food excesses from the hospitality industry – food that would have gone to waste were it not for OH. These “rescued” food items (180 tons a year from 3,500 donors) are delivered to organizations serving people in need. Through its Hamper Hub program, it has been providing 450 hampers of food a day to international students and temporary visa holders who could access neither the Australian government’s relief nor support from their home countries. If you feel moved to support OH, here is the link to follow:

Donate to OzHarvest

Expressions of Solidarity

By January 15th, 2020, Business Insider was reporting that Australian billionaires had donated over 54 million dollars to wildfire relief. [16] These resources are under the management of the government and NGOs. In early 2020, Chevron Australia pledged to donate AUS$1million to the Australian Red Cross for emergency grants. [FN17]

While NGOs were hard at work in Victoria and NSW, an informal group of international students based in Darwin formed the #Kindness Shake to provide weekly meals to other international students who had lost their jobs and were hungry. With the help of local businesses, this group served 400 meals to students every week. #Kindness Shake believes that international students are an essential part of Australia’s great communities, and that community should stick together. To support #Kindness Shake see their Facebook Page.

Cafes and restaurants have provided free food for international students and employees of these organizations have offered rooms until things get better; students who can access their savings are often sharing their rooms to cut down on costs.

To sum up, we cannot say that life has returned to normal in Australia after the wildfires in the times of Covid-19, but it is clear that Australia will need support until it reaches a sustainable new normal.

Resources

Augustine Ojeh

Australian Food Insecurity Spikes in the Time of Wildfires and Covid-19

1. Government programs

2. Civil Society Interventions

A Conversation For Six

Navigation

Australian Food Insecurity Spikes in the Time of Wildfires and Covid-19

1. Government programs

2. Civil Society Interventions

How Five National NGOs Tackle Food Insecurity in the US

Milk Made: Donating Milk & Feeding Chicago During COVID-19

A Conversation For Six

Navigation