COVID19 and Global Food Security, a new IFPRI report

The coronavirus pandemic has sparked not only a health crisis but also an economic crisis, which together pose a serious threat to food security, particularly in poorer countries. COVID-19 & Global Food Security brings together a groundbreaking series of IFPRI blog posts looking at the impacts of COVID-19 and the policy responses. IFPRI researchers and guest bloggers provide key insights and analysis on how the global pandemic is affecting global poverty and food security and nutrition, food trade and supply chains, gender, employment, and a variety of policy interventions, as well as reflections on how we can use these lessons to better prepare for future pandemics. These pieces draw on a combination of conceptual arguments, global and country-level simulation models, in-country surveys, case studies, and expert opinions. Together, they present a comprehensive picture of the current and potential impact of COVID-19 and the world’s policy responses on global food and nutrition security.

COVID-19 has severely disrupted our lives, jeopardized the well-being of billions of people, and raised the specter of a global food crisis, all in just a few months. The huge impact expected on the world’s economy and on global food security has been described in dramatic terms. The World Bank forecasts that the global economy will shrink by more than 5%, which would be the deepest recession since the Second World War. IFPRI researchers estimate that, in the absence of strong interventions in
developing countries, the number of people in extreme poverty could increase by up to 150 million.

More importantly, COVID-19 is a health crisis with multiple and widespread impacts on food systems, social systems, and economic development. The need to change daily practices and routines, many essential to livelihoods, and the consequent disruption of connections at local, regional, and global levels make the COVID-19 shock different from economic and climate shocks. And compared with previous pandemics, the much greater interconnection of trade and markets today — and the more complex nature of food, health, and economic systems — is amplifying the potential of COVID-19 to aggravate poverty and disrupt food systems. As a result, the impacts on well-being will be large relative to disease mortality rates.

The chapters in this book look across the broad range of impacts of this unprecedented crisis, providing forecasts, evidence, analysis, and recommendations for more effective policy responses to support food security. They draw on a combination of conceptual arguments, global and country-level simulation models, in-country surveys, case studies, and expert opinions.

This e-book compiles a selection of entries from the IFPRI blog series on COVID-19. The pieces provide key insights and analysis on how the global pandemic is affecting global poverty and food security and nutrition, food trade and supply chains, gender, employment, and a variety of policy interventions, as well as reflections on how we can use these lessons to better prepare for future pandemics. These pieces draw on a combination of conceptual arguments, global and country-level simulation models, in-country surveys, case studies, and expert opinions. Together, they present a comprehensive picture of the current and potential impact of COVID-19 and the policy responses to the pandemic on global food and nutrition security.

• COVID-19 and Global Food Security – Read it

@IFPRI’s #NEW #eBook provides critical analyses on #COVID19’s impacts on #food security🥦 and #development as well as global #policy responses🌎 and building resilience. More 👉https://t.co/aUP0rPRV3w
Check out recordings of our webinar on the book: https://t.co/8cANGVKfAG pic.twitter.com/HMwai6Rk4G

— IFPRI (@IFPRI) August 7, 2020