Meet the barter and the family flavors in the community field of Costa Rica, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Received: 07-30-2020

Approved: 08-05-2020

Sociocultural, production, social family and community aspects associated with food are described in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, based on a documentary review and 20 semi-structured interviews conducted between April and July 2020 with community leaders and producers of various parts of Costa Rica (11 women and 9 men with an average age of 47.5 years). Physical distancing, greater stay at home, loss of family purchasing power, changes in labor dynamics, collaborative association of local producers, humanitarian aid and increased productive initiatives and family ventures to generate economic income, and survive in the midst of the pandemic, they are highly relevant in the current context of food and nutritional insecurity. The need of people to retake the kitchen as a family meeting space, and the monitoring of family recipes is evident. The revaluation of nationally produced food and interest in its traceability are presented, as well as practices for collecting underused food and production for self-consumption. It also highlights the taking of measures to prevent food loss and waste in a context of economic crisis and family savings.