COVID-19: Solidarity initiatives for food security in the Mayan indigenous region of south-southeast Mexico

Abstract

The food sector was seriously affected by COVID-19 in southern-southeast Mexico, a Mayan region with high levels of poverty, malnutrition, and extreme weather events. The present study aimed to identify, from the dimensions of food security, citizen-led initiatives that emerged as strategies to guarantee food access in five states in the south-southeast of Mexico. A total of 7446 news articles were collected from five online newspapers and 53 food initiatives were identified. The six dimensions of food security analysis were used as a guide for our critical review of gathered media reports. The access dimension of food security was the most addressed using collection drives and food delivery to vulnerable populations. Review results underscore the critical role of community strengthening to increase and sustain food resilience.