The short- and long-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food systems remain uncertain, raising concerns about food security. The pandemic’s public health impacts, as well as the economic and logistical impacts of pandemic response measures such as lockdowns and travel restrictions, have the potential to disrupt food value chains around the globe. Such disruptions could result in labor shortages, decreased production, volatile food prices, and reduced food availability and access.

Across the developing world, urbanization and income growth are driving massive shifts in consumers’ food preferences and subsequently in the form and functioning of local and regional food value chains.

Food security and nutrition security, particularly in low-income countries, continue to face significant challenges, from volatile food prices, climate change-driven shocks, and conflict to pandemics and economic downturns. A number of research efforts exist around the world to allow near-real-time monitoring of these and other risk factors that drive food crises. This work includes monitoring production-related information, climate and conflict data, price information, and other factors in order to identify the likelihood of acute food insecurity and help policy makers enact timely policy responses.

Background

The 2020 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report highlights the most recent and authoritative estimates of the extent of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition around the world. The Report calls for a transformative change in food systems to ensure healthy and affordable diets for all, a sine qua non for eliminating hunger and malnutrition.

The COVID-19 pandemic poses grave risks to the nutritional status and survival of young children in low- and middle-income countries, due in part to steep declines in household incomes, changes in the availability and affordability of nutritious foods, and interruptions to health, nutrition, and social protection services. Recent analysis carried out by IFPRI suggests that there could be a 14% increase in the prevalence of moderate or severe wasting among children younger than 5 years due to COVID-19-related losses in GNI per capita.

With the global economy reeling from COVID- related measures, the world faces the risk of a dramatic rise in hunger and malnutrition. On April 16, 2020, the ministers from African Union member states recognized that efforts to contain the spread of the virus need to be accompanied by measures to minimize disruptions to food and agriculture systems and to support the livelihoods for all African citizens during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.