Institutional analysis of food and agriculture policy in the Caribbean: The case of Saint Lucia

The role played by various institutions in the domestic agri-food systems of Caribbean nations has become an increasingly important area of research and policy attention. This paper assesses the main policies that have been implemented in Saint Lucia's agri-food system over two time periods (pre-1950 and 1950 to 2010), and analyzes their influence on formal and informal institutions. Results suggest that rule convergence in export (formal) and domestic (informal) agricultural production systems displaced informal institutions to a lower position in the institutional hierarchy. This institutional change has reduced interactions between farming community members, with negative implications for bonding and bridging social capital in the domestic food production system. Collectively, these changes have resulted in unintended outcomes associated with the decline of many rural communities. Our findings highlight the need to better identify bridging institutions in Saint Lucia's domestic agri-food sector that could help support shared rule-making, the decentralization of power and reciprocal knowledge flows amongst policy actors. •How have formal and informal institutions influenced the agri-food system through time?•Combined PIASES Institutional Analysis and Development and Social–Ecological Systems frameworks.•Rule convergence transformed the domestic agri-food system with unintended outcomes.•Drastically changed intra-community interaction, reducing bonding and bridging social capital.•Need to better identify bridging institutions in Saint Lucia's domestic agri-food sector.