Table 1_Examining the shades of blue in the blue economy: a perspective on disaggregating impacts on food security in Puerto Rico.docx

It has been particularly championed as a win-win approach in low and middle-income countries and territories across the Global South. Yet its success is typically measured through narrow quantitative indicators such as production levels, revenues, and growth rates, while overlooking the social, cultural, and equity dimensions that shape how benefits and burdens are distributed across sectors and communities.

As these initiatives expand, understanding their impacts on local food systems, community well-being, and equity implications becomes increasingly urgent, particularly in (neo)colonial and non-sovereign places where governance structures constrain local control, such as Puerto Rico. Yet the indicators used to evaluate progress for Blue Economy policies often fail to capture implications for wellbeing, food security, and equity.