The opportunity for digital transformation

The impacts of COVID-19 grow daily. The pandemic has unleashed a crisis not only in health but also in economics. In such a scenario - in which achieving economic, social and environmental sustainability is increasingly essential for the planet - the agri-food system needs urgent and innovative solutions. In this regard, digitization is a recommended way to go. Digitization has become a fundamental engine of rural transformation, creating new opportunities for farmers. The future of agri-food systems will depend, to a large extent, on how stakeholders in agriculture will be able to take advantage of digital transformation to improve inclusion, efficiency and environmental impacts.

Impact of COVID-19 on national censuses of agriculture (Status overview)

The FAO Statistics Division is monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on national agricultural censuses and provides an overview of its effects on ongoing activities. The information presented is the result of a rapid appraisal and informal consultations with national agricultural census authorities.

Impacts of coronavirus on food security and nutrition in Asia and the Pacific: Building more resilient food systems

The COVID-19 pandemic poses a serious threat to food security and nutrition. Economic turmoil caused by the pandemic threatens both economic and physical access to food (FAO, 2019). Declining incomes may make food, particularly nutritious food, less affordable for some, especially the poor. Disruptions to and possible breakdowns of marketing, logistics and trading systems could make food unavailable in some locations at some times. Hunger and malnutrition could rise.

This brief will assess the current situation, provide some examples of how governments and other stakeholders are attempting to build more resilient food systems in response, and offer some broad policy recommendations.

Contact person:  David Dawe, Senior Economist (Food Security), FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

Why export restrictions should not be a response to COVID-19: Learning lessons from experience with rice in Asia and the Pacific

The spread of COVID-19 has created tremendous uncertainty on a number of fronts, including the availability of food supplies. In such a situation, countries might be prompted to restrict their food exports to ensure greater domestic availability in the short term. However, such restrictions can cause panic, leading to price surges on international markets, and a breakdown of food supply chains. During the food price crisis in 2007–2008, trade restrictions contributed significantly to price spikes for various commodities (45 percent for rice and 30 percent for wheat (Martin & Anderson, 2020). Price volatility led to social unrest in many countries and made it more difficult for the poor to afford food, especially nutritious food.

This brief will discuss recent food export restrictions employed in the region, analyze their impacts, explain how export restrictions can hurt importers and exporters alike, and give examples of good policies.

Contact person:  David Dawe, Senior Economist (Food Security), FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

Legal considerations in responses to COVID-19 to mitigate the risk of disruption to fisheries and aquaculture food systems

This brief identifies some of the areas that governments have intervened through emergency law to strengthen a resilient fisheries and aquaculture food supply chains and illustrates how these regulatory measures can be adopted by other countries thereby contribute to ensuring food security and economic development for all especially the indigenous peoples and women. As such, it contributes to FAO’s Strategic Objectives on the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition (SO2).

Contact person: Blaise Kuemlangan, Chief, Development Law Service, FAO