Impact of COVID-19 on people's livelihoods, their health and our food systems

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has junction rectifier to a dramatic loss of human life worldwide and presents an new challenge to public health, food systems and therefore the world of labor. The economic and social disruption caused by the pandemic is devastating: tens of voluminous individual’s area unit in danger of falling into extreme economic condition, whereas the amount of ill-fed individuals, presently calculable at nearly 690 million, may increase by up to 132 million by the tip of the year.

Millions of enterprises face AN existential threat. Nearly 1/2 the world’s three.3 billion world hands area unit in danger of losing their livelihoods. Informal economy staff area unit significantly vulnerable as a result of the bulk lack social protection and access to quality health care and have lost access to productive assets. While not the means that to earn A financial gain throughout lockdowns, several area unit unable to feed themselves and their families. For most, no financial gain means that no food, or, at best, less food and fewer nutritive food.

The pandemic has been poignant the whole food system and has arranged vacant its fragility. Border closures, trade restrictions and confinement measures are preventing farmers from accessing markets, together with for getting inputs and commercialism their turn out, and agricultural staff from gathering crops, therefore disrupting domestic and international food provide chains and reducing access to healthy, safe and various diets. The pandemic has decimated jobs and placed voluminous livelihoods in danger. As breadwinners lose jobs, fall sick and die, the food security and nutrition of voluminous ladies and men area unit beneath threat, with those in low-income countries, significantly the foremost marginalized populations that embody small-scale farmers and native peoples, being hardest hit.

Millions of agricultural staff – waged and freelance – whereas feeding the planet, often face high levels of operating economic condition, deficiency disease and poor health, and suffer from a scarcity of safety and labour protection also as alternative forms of abuse. With low and irregular incomes and a scarcity of social support, several of them area unit spurred to continue operating, usually in unsafe conditions, therefore exposing themselves and their families to extra risks. Further, once experiencing financial gain losses, they'll resort to negative cope ways, like distress sale of assets, predatory loans or kid labour. Migrant agricultural staff area unit notably vulnerable, as a result of they face risks in their transport, operating and living conditions and struggle to access support measures place in situ by governments. Guaranteeing the protection and health of all agri-food staff – from primary producers to those concerned in food process, transport and retail, together with street food vendors – also as higher incomes and protection, are crucial to saving lives and protective public health, people’s livelihoods and food security.