Impacts of COVID-19 on agriculture and food security in developing countries: potential mitigation strategies.

Abstract

Despite efforts to reduce global food insecurity, success has been limited in many developing countries due to numerous inherent problems The challenges and vulnerabilities associated with food security in these countries have been exacerbated by the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic As a rapid response strategy to minimize the coronavirus' spread, countries have put in place different forms of movement restrictions, locally and globally, which have therefore affected agricultural production, food availability, and accessibility Focusing on the four pillars of food security, this paper provides an overview of the pandemic's impacts on food availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability drawing examples from different developing countries The report also suggests some response strategies that could be adopted or (where already in existence) strengthened to promote food security in developing countries, during and after a pandemic/crisis The strategies of major concern to ensure continued availability and accessibility of food during and after a pandemic/crisis include (i) establishment of community-based food networks, (ii) food and agriculture data collection and maintenance, (iii) stabilizing food prices, (iv) infrastructural development for food security, (v) increasing investment in agricultural research and policies, (vi) adopting modern farming practices, and (vii) reduction and management of agricultural and food waste