A new CORE report highlights how Covid-19 is having a major impact on household food security and livelihoods through a combination of loss of income, increasing food prices, and restrictions to movements of people, inputs and products.
The new Research for Policy and Practice Report on ‘The impact of Covid-19 on livelihoods and food security’ provides evidence from three CORE research projects covering Latin America, Sub Saharan Africa and Pakistan, led by research organisations with a detailed understanding of local food system dynamics and associated equity and livelihood issues in their regions:
- The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on livelihoods in sub- Saharan Africa – the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC).
- Supporting small and medium enterprises, food security, and evolving social protection mechanisms to deal with Covid-19 in Pakistan – Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).
- Impact of Covid-19 on family farming and food security in Latin America: evidence-based public policy responses – Latin American Center for Rural Development (Rimisp).
Together, these studies show how the hardest hit in both rural and urban areas are frequently women and those working in informal economies. They also draw out key lessons and priority actions that need to be taken to improve food and livelihood security and ensure that food systems become more equitable and resilient.
These messages will inform a forthcoming UN Food Systems Summit independent dialogue organised by the IDS-led IDRC CORE KT programme, in collaboration with IDRC and Australian Centre for Agricultural International Research, that will bring together a range of stakeholders and perspectives on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on food systems and livelihoods, focusing on the evidence and experience generated from the most affected communities in low- income countries.
Read the full report here…
