Even though COVID-19 poses a threat to the health of humanity, the reaction to the pandemic must not cause more suffering than the disease itself. This is particularly relevant for poor developing countries!
The Deutsche Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (German Institute for Development Policy) is one of the world's leading research institutes and think tanks on questions of global development and international development policy.
For high-income countries, the current pandemic is mainly a public health crisis. It is also a crisis of the economy, the labour market, social life, schools and child care as well as the relationship between citizen and state. But there is one kind of crisis that it is not (yet): A crisis of food security and by extension a crisis for life.
If people are unemployed or lose their income, minimum incomes are usually guaranteed by the state in these countries. The prices for food are and remain low, particularly in relation to income. However, even these rich countries are beginning to see the first signs of a spill over from the health sector into the food sector. This is reflected in the long lines at food banks, local fruit and vegetables becoming more expensive due to the lack of harvest workers, supply bottlenecks at borders and rising prices for products from supply chains affected by the coronavirus. The decline in the consumption of high-quality food in exchange for cheap and filling food in poorer and even average-income households and the end to school dinners are a sign of the stress on the food systems – even in Germany!
Poor countries are also experiencing all of these problems but the impact of the corona crisis for food security is much more serious there. The (preliminary) estimates of various organisations are shocking: the report State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) prepared by several UN organisations under the leadership of the FAO estimates that another 83 to 132 million people could become affected by famine as a result of the pandemic. OXFAM warns in its report “The Hunger Virus“ that up to 12,000 more people could die of hunger each day by the end of 2020. UNICEF and Save the Children fear that the number of children who live in poor households around the world will rise by 117 million to 700 million children by the end of the year. The lockdown measures and their economic effects have disastrous consequences, particularly for the poorest and most vulnerable.
However, these are only the short-term consequences of the pandemic. They have the biggest impact on lower income groups in urban areas due to the loss of jobs, loss of remittance and particularly the decline in occasional jobs in the informal sector. These households have little money saved, often live hand to mouth and are now dependent on solidarity from neighbours and family or - if available - on government transfers. Luckily, production of the most important basic foods remains robust around the world according to severalestimates. Since the demand for high-quality foods in particular is declining, the global agricultural prices have in fact fallen. However, some areas are also seeing a rapid increase in prices, particularly if the local, regional and global food chains are disrupted or impaired as a result of the pandemic. Even though there is usually enough food available, products become backed up in the market due to politically mandated interruptions to supply chains. As a result, prices at the producers fall, not enough products are available for consumers and prices rise. People who live in the countryside with their own farms or live close to producers are in a better position to cope in the short term, at least with this crisis. But most chronically poor people live in the countryside and are small-scale farmers who often have to buy additional food to survive.
In the longer term, the consequences of the crisis are on the verge of shifting to the rural areas. The low prices and impaired agricultural supply chains reduce the production incentives and diminish rural incomes. If the market restrictions due to corona continue, the supply of food to consumers will also suffer more due to a supply shortage. Where government transfer and investment programmes are currently helping, falling tax revenue will likely force the governments to focus the relief efforts on more politically relevant urban regions.
Development cooperation should specifically incorporate resilience in its programmes and plan transitions between development and crises modes.
In the worst-case scenario, the negative “side effects” of measures to tackle the corona pandemic could prove worse for food security than the main effects of the crisis. In order to mitigate the impact of these effects, governments and development cooperation should take the following into account when tackling the coronavirus in these countries:
Each lockdown should be carefully analysed to examine the effects on food security. These must be accompanied by targeted measures that support the production and supply of food. It can be concluded more often than in the global North that individual measures (even with realistic support measures) lead to greater damage to nutrition and health than the further spread of the coronavirus. They should be scrapped or used as sparingly as possible.
Development cooperation contributions should particularly address information, health and hygiene in the short term and also include money and food transfers as well as social and employment programmes where necessary. Economic structures and players should be protected and supported to the greatest extent possible, for example, by establishing local structures to increase or stabilise production or by maintaining and expanding market structures.
The importance of agriculture as a fallback option in the corona crisis, for other epidemics but also for many other societal and individual risks should be more clearly recognised. The resilience of a majority of households can be enhanced by supporting sustainable agricultural systems that have to be adjusted to different types of households, for example by kitchen gardening, low-input agriculture and semi-professional cultivation systems. Broad-based economic growth remains a further priority of enhanced resilience. The food sector as the most important industry in poor countries with great quantitative and qualitative growth prospects is an essential area of funding.
However, it is important to look not only at the corona crisis but at other crises that are spreading in developing countries. Climate-related crises (such as droughts) or the current plague of locusts in East Africa, for example, are damaging local agriculture and, as a result, food security; non-agricultural income and access to the global agricultural market are therefore important options. This market access must be able to grow in the long term; only using it in an emergency does not work, which is why open and active agricultural markets are important even after the pandemic. Research has shown that comprehensive resilience can be best achieved by diversity (particularly in terms of income and the supply of food from local and global supply chains), creating reserves, social security systems and insurance. Development cooperation should specifically incorporate resilience to various risks in its programmes and plan transitions between development and crises modes (contingency planning).
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African countries still face huge gender gaps in terms of access to work and capital. What are the consequences of Corona for women in Africa? Jan Rübel interviewed Léa Rouanet on lockdowns and gender-based violence. The economist works at the Africa Gender Innovation Lab of the World Bank.
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A contritbution by Essa Chanie Mussa (University of Gondar)
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A Contribution by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
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Chancellor Angela Merkel in the Podcast of the Federal Government
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A contribution by Jes Weigelt and Alexander Müller
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A contribution by Michael Windfuhr (German Institute for Human Rights)
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A project by Deutscher Genossenschafts- und Raiffeisenverband e. V.
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A contribution by William Onura and Larissa Stiem-Bhatia
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A contribution by Clare Crowe Pettersson & Lena Bassermann
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A contribution by Kerstin Weber and Brit Reichelt-Zolho (WWF)
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Double interview with Tony Rinaudo and Volker Schlöndorff
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A contribution by Nadine Babatounde and Anne Floquet (MISEREOR)
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A report by Alexander Müller and Jes Weigelt (TMG)
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A contribution by Michael Brüntrup (DIE) und Daniel Tsegai (UNCCD)
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A contribution by Dr. Karin Gaesing and Prof. Dr. Frank Bliss (INEF)
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An Interview with Francisco Marí (Brot für die Welt)
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A Contribution by Emile Frison and Nick Jacobs (IPES-Food)
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A Contribution by the Forestry Research Institute Nigeria
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Rising food and gas prices, physical destruction and supply chain disruptions: Why the Black Sea region matters and how the war in Ukraine affects global food security.
A Contribution of the 'Initiative for Sustainable Agricultural Supply Chains' (INA)
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The Corona pandemic is hitting economies around the world very hard - but developments in African countries are quite diverse. There are different speeds, resiliences and vulnerabilities. What are the reasons for this? Apl. Prof. Jann Lay of the GIGA Institute provides answers.
A contribution by Prof. Dr. Anna-Katharina Hornidge
In the video format "#99SecondsWith" of the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), Prof. Dr Anna - Katharina Hornidge talks about the new Africa-Strategy of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Four interviews kick off the relaunch under the new name „Food4Transformation“, asking the same questions from different perspectives. Mareike Haase and Stig Tanzmann from Brot für die Welt explain why the right to food, inclusivity, agroecology and food sovereignty are the central levers for a successful transformation.
Four interviews kick off the relaunch under the new name „Food4Transformation“, asking the same questions from different perspectives. Dr Julia Köhn, Chair of the German AgriFood Society, points out in the interview: Only if innovation and transformation are profitable in the medium term can they close the food gap in the long term.
The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has released a video on the transformation of agricultural and food systems. In the video, Federal Minister Svenja Schulze also speaks about the urgent need to combat global hunger and contribute to resilient agricultural and food systems.
A Contribution by Dr. Fatima Olanike Kareem and Dr. Olayinka Idowu Kareem
High agricultural prices affect developed and developing countries alike, but the problem is aggravated for the latter through the lack of or inadequate resilience measures. Dr. Fatima Olanike Kareem, AKADEMIYA2063, and Dr. Olayinka Idowu Kareem, University of Hohenheim, explain what can be done to mitigate the negative effects on food security.
The consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine have enabled many countries to open up new export markets for their agricultural goods. However, smallholder farms have been largely left out. Drawing on his experience in India, our author gives a brief overview of how this can be changed.
Iraq suffered many years of war, sanctions and economic crises. However, Ally-Raza Qureshi from the World Food Programme in Iraq sees progress. But now the effects of climate change are becoming apparent in the country. What is to be done?
The world is currently experiencing a historic food crisis. High fertiliser prices are part of the problem. In addition to the necessary short-term aid measures, the crisis ought to be made use of to develop and implement longer-term fertiliser strategies for sustainable, in particular smallholder increases in production in the Global South.
In a world facing crises – from pandemics, armed conflicts, and climate change – how do we ensure everyone has enough food within planetary boundaries? A new podcast by Food4Transformation discover solutions talking to government officials, scientists, NGOs and farmers around the world.
The Gaza Strip depends heavily on humanitarian aid, more than ever with the current war. Gaza population is very young: Half of them are children. What is their situation on the ground? Questions for Lucia Elmi, Unicef Special Representative to the State of Palestine.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, not all financial institutions (FIs) have access to knowledge about how to implement processes to enhance rural financial inclusion. The pan-African Community of Practice (CoP) plays a pivotal role in supporting these institutions along this transformative journey.
How can agriculture engage more young people in rural areas? Advocacy and education campaigns can play an important role here. Simeon Kambalame, Timveni Child and Youth Media Organisation, has launched such a campaign in Malawi.
Women and girls in poorer countries are affected in particular ways by the multiple crises the world is currently facing. Uncovering the linkages between gender, resilience and food security, experts from International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) look at ways to support women and girls’ capacity to respond to crises.
The armed conflict between Israeli forces and the Hamas is escalating. What does this mean for a Gaza, region that was already heavily dependent on external aid? Questions for Dr. Muriel Asseburg, Senior Fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin.
From measures to promote biodiversity in Germany to more sustainable cocoa cultivation methods in Ecuador: WWF works at many different levels. At the Green Week, it will be demonstrated just how multifaceted nature conservation work is and what role each individual's decision plays.
Diversifying our protein supply to include plant-based foods and cultivated meat can be a game-changer for climate mitigation and climate adaptation, especially in the countries of the Global South. However, a great deal of research is still required to capitalise on this potential. And political support, as Ivo Rzegotta, Good Food Institute, demonstrates.
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