Locating the traditional economy in Port Vila, Vanuatu: disaster relief and agrobiodiversity. (Special Issue: Surviving well: from diverse economies to community economies in Asia Pacific.)

ABSTRACT

Alternative economic indicators are becoming policy in Vanuatu, particularly focusing on what national policy calls traditional economy. Although this acknowledges livelihoods and customary land in rural areas, urban places receive less attention. This article advances an argument that cities are also home to traditional economies. We draw on concepts of diverse economies and translocality to examine how economic practices typically associated with community activities on customary land are also found in cities where households lack direct access to customary resources. Empirical data come from the authors' fieldwork and participation in community-based organisations in Port Vila, Vanuatu, from 2017 to 2020. The case study presents surveys of agrobiodiversity in 27 urban backyards and livelihood practices of 24 households;and accounts of co-authors' participation in community-based disaster to distribute disaster relief supplies from urban to rural, create urban markets for rural crops and build urban resilience following Ambae Island's Manaro volcano eruptions and COVID-19-related unemployment. This study demonstrates how traditional economies are part of everyday urban life.