Policy briefs
The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting not only food trade, food supply chains and markets but also people’s lives, livelihoods and nutrition.
This collection of policy briefs presents a qualitative and quantitative assessment of the pandemic’s impacts on these areas.
Briefs are released on a day-to-day basis. Please check back frequently for the latest available briefs.
For media queries on any of the below topics, please contact [email protected]
Search briefs
Impact assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to food value chains in the Lori and Tavush regions
The aim of the Impact assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to food value chains in the Lori and Tavush regions – Final report is to understand the situation of agricultural and rural development after a few waves of the COVID-19 pandemic to identify key problems and challenges that food value chain actors faced due to the pandemic in the Lori and Tavush regions and to develop a set of proposals and recommendations to address them.
Contact persons: Hasmik Kocharyan and Vahe Darbinyan
COVID-19, land, natural resources, gender issues and Indigenous Peoples' rights in Asia
The COVID-19 crisis has led to reports of encroachment upon indigenous land, creating hardship during an especially difficult time and placing Indigenous Peoples in a precarious situation. In this context, this brief asks specifically what impact COVID-19 is having on Indigenous Peoples’ rights, especially women, elaborating on how challenges could be overcome leaving no one behind.
Contact person: Marianna Bicchieri, Land Tenure Officer (Social Inclusion, Gender and Indigenous Peoples)
Impact of COVID-19 on the human right to adequate food in the Pacific Region
The COVID-19 crisis is exacerbating food insecurity and malnutrition in the Pacific region as measures to halt the spread of the virus have unintended impacts on people’s lives, such as rising unemployment and poverty. Moreover, lockdowns and mobility restrictions cause disruptions in trade within and between States, reducing the availability and accessibility of adequate food, and threatening the sustainability of food systems.
Urgent steps are needed to address food insecurity for the poorest and most marginalized. Measures aimed at providing immediate support to satisfy people’s dietary needs should be put in place, including the provision of food and nutrition assistance.
National agrifood systems and COVID-19 in South Sudan: Effects, policy responses, and long-term implications
The COVID-19 pandemic has put significant pressure on health systems all around the world. The drastic measures established to contain its spread are creating serious impediments to economic activity (including agrifood systems) and, consequently, to livelihoods and food security and nutrition.
This report is part of a series of country profiles that describe: (i) policy measures enacted by governments to contain the spread of the virus; (ii) policies and measures to stabilize the functioning of agri-food systems; (iii) potential effects of policies on agri-food systems and vulnerable groups. Finally, the profiles also assess longer-term options for agri-food system policies and investments to make them more resilient.
Seasonal migration in Europe and Central Asia in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
Seasonal migration has been greatly affected by COVID-19 mobility restrictions. More specifically, migrant workers engaged in seasonal employment have suffered an immense blow as a result of the enforcement of lockdown measures, which further increased the uncertainty of their livelihoods and of the welfare and economic security of their households in their countries of origin. This brief has been prepared as part of the work on addressing migration-related issues across the region of Europe and Central Asia, including the impact of COVID-19 on seasonal migration. The brief is reviewing the situation in the countries of the region, where seasonal migration is more common. It presents the assessment of the pandemic’s impacts on the mobility of migrants, food security of households, remittance flows, as well as the policies of the countries in the region to ease the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic.
Contact: Nvard Loryan, Programme Specialist and Country Analyst at the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (REU)
