China: E-commerce companies have been implementing many innovative initiatives to facilitate the trading of accumulated products and increase agricultural products commerce, for example, a special subsidy for smallholders, increasing the centralized procurement of agricultural products from core producing areas, investment in green logistics, and dedicated lines for agricultural products. In some places, the local government has unified purchases, centralized slaughtering, and cold-chain storage of the county cooperatives and enterprises raising mackerels that are over 100 days old and running out of stock, and fully subsidize storage costs such as electricity charges for freezing during purchasing, and afford 30% of the sales risk.
Italy: A number of initiatives taken to increase delivery by farmers' associations and small and medium retailers who have gradually adapted to the situation by adopting simple low-tech communication tools, such as WhatsApp, to facilitate purchases and by offering home delivery to their clients. Given the closure of wholesale markets, cooperatives themselves have also embraced adaptive strategies. Online platforms, such as Kalulu and Alveare, put producers in direct communication with end-consumers (Ibid, 2020g). Similarly, enterprises, such as Ethical Food Selection position themselves in sustainable value chains, deliver products of small farm enterprises, without additional fees, to help sustain small-scale producers who are most vulnerable to the changing situation. Brazil: The smallholder farmers' confederation requested the government to keep the food procurement program and to adapt the farmers' markets to the necessary measures to ensure prevention of COVID 19. The Brazilian parliament approved a law allowing the distribution of food bought through the national school feeding program to the parents of students. Some states transferred the money allocated to school feeding directly to the students' families and others organised the distribution of food to the most vulnerable families. Some states have continued and/or increased food procurement from smallholder farmers to supply school meals and hospitals. In the UK, low-income families whose children are ordinarily eligible for meals will be offered vouchers, food or meals, even if they no longer attend school because of coronavirus closures. Partnerships between civil society, schools and local authorities, will aim to offer meals for parents to collect at schools or community centres. Home delivery for the most vulnerable was also considered. Summary of policy options regarding school meals: Policy options include supplementing cash transfer programmes, take-home rations, food vouchers, and keeping schools or community facilities as feeding centres by providing take-home rations.
Kenya:
Recognizing the need for transportation of perishable products during the cooler hours, the government has allowed transportation of food products during the night curfew.
Digital tools- the use of digital technologies and mobile money transactions to access inputs and markets are recognized as enabling tools. The proposal for the Ministry of Trade and Industrialization and Command Center promotes the adoption of e-commerces by service providers of the food supply chain, and the supply of food through online procurement and home delivery in the urban areas.
Inputs- Fertilizers have been made available at subsidized rates through chain stores across the country and the Government will facilitate farmers' access to affordable inputs and extension support.
Cooperatives- The State Department of Cooperatives has established the Cooperative Coronavirus Response Committee (CCRC). The cooperative response committee gathers cooperative leaders from ten key stakeholder organizations to collaborate with government agencies to implement and monitor COVID-19 related measures as well as to advocate for solutions that are responsive to the needs of cooperatives.
In facilitating women smallholders’ access to markets, the following policy responses can be considered:
• Promoting mobile markets at the farm gate (as implemented in India) to facilitate women´s fresh food products are reaching local consumers;
• Ensuring that informal and micro enterprises, mainly managed by women, are included in the relief response (e.g. by enhancing access to loans, training and market linkages).
In Peru, groups of women farmers obtained permission from the authorities to sell their products with their stall at the open-air market in the town’s main square. The women received training from the municipal authorities on the care and prevention measures to be followed to market their products under conditions that are safe for them and their customers.
In Senegal, the Government formalized a contribution of CFAF 100,270,000 in support of women in agriculture and sustainable development through the program titled "Household basket: women are part of the solution”. In line with the objectives of PAF/AgriFed, this program will supply food kits to 10,000 vulnerable households by purchasing rice and local cereals from women farmers in Senegal, who have produced a third of the local rice in 2019.
In Serbia, the women’s association of Kolubara District (with the support of a UN Women-run and EU-funded project) created an online farmers’ market in response to the COVID-19 lockdown. The association was able to reallocate part of the project’s funds to hire a driver and cover the shipping costs of the delivery service. An online farmers’ market smartphone app is in the pipeline for women farmers to better reach their customers and sell their products during the crisis.
Italy: Passatino, F. 11 March 2020. Coronavirus Covid-19. Ungaro (Fisc): “Una campagna a supporto del provvedimento ‘Io resto a casa’”. SIR Agenzia d'informazione. [online]. [Cited 18 March 2020].
ANSA. 18 marzo 2020. Con il Coronavirus la Spesa e’ nel Quartiere, Vola la Consegna a Domicilio. online]. [Cited 20 March 2020;
Brazil: https://www.camara.leg.br/proposicoesWeb/fichadetramitacao?idProposicao=2241627;
https://sistemafaep.org.br/coronavirus-governo-do-parana-amplia-a-compra-de-produtos-da-agricultura-familiar/
UK: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/mar/19/volunteers-mobilise-to-ensure-children-get-fed-during-school-closures
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools;
https://www.cgdev.org/blog/schools-closed-hundreds-millions-children-are-not-receiving-school-meals
Gender related links ans references:
CARE International. 2020. Gender implications of COVID-19 outbreaks in development and humanitarian settings. (also available at https://www.care-international.org/files/files/ Gendered_Implications_of_COVID-19-Full_Paper.pdf)
Jara, M. 2020. Coronavirus Hasn´t Slowed Down Ecological Women Farmers in Peru’s Andes Highlands. Inter press service. (also available at http://www.ipsnews.net/2020/05/coronavirus-hasnt-slowed-ecological-women-farmers-perus-andes-highlands/)
Kapur, N. 2020. Gender Analysis: Prevention and Response to Ebola Virus Disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Care International DRC. (also available at https://www.care-international.org/files/files/Ebola_Gender_Analysis_English_v2.pdf)
Korkoyah, D.T.Jr. & Wreh, F.F. 2015. Ebola Impact revealed an Assessment of the differing impact of the outbreak on women and men in Liberia. UN Women; Oxfam; Ministry of Gender and Development of Liberia; Liberia Wash Consortium. (also available at https://www-cdn.oxfam.org/s3fs-public/file_attachments/rr-ebola-impact-women-men-liberia-010715-en.pdf)
UN, 2020. Women’s Association of Kolubara District’s response to COVID-19: Setting Up Online Farmers’ Market. United Nations Serbia. (also available at https://serbia.un.org/en/43752-womens-association-kolubara-districts-response-covid-19-setting-online-farmers-market)
UNDG (UN Development Group Western and Central Africa). 2015. Socio-Economic Impact of Ebola Virus Disease in West African Countries. UNDG. (also available at https://www.undp.org/ content/dam/rba/docs/Reports/ebola-west-africa.pdf)
UN Women, 2020. COVID-19 response: UN Women puts women farmers in Senegal at the heart of the solution. UN Women. (also available at https://africa.unwomen.org/en/news-and-events/stories/2020/04/riposte-covid-19-senegal)
