Publications
The impact of COVID-19 on fisheries and aquaculture - A global assessment from the perspective of regional fishery bodies
This assessment, undertaken in November 2020, is a follow-up to the initial assessment undertaken in April 2020, and used the same methodology. This present paper provides a summary of responses to questionnaires circulated to regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) and regional fisheries advisory bodies (RFABs) to determine the impacts of restrictions imposed by COVID-19, upon the management, production and supply of fisheries products from capture fisheries and aquaculture. Comparisons are made between the responses given in April 2020 in the early phase of the pandemic, and those given in November 2020, some seven months later. The objective is to provide a global overview of the impacts of COVID-19 from the perspective of the secretariats of regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) and regional fisheries advisory bodies (RFABs), and collate examples of good practices and suggestions to guide development of mitigation measures.
Agricultural trade & policy responses during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020
Measures adopted around the world to contain the COVID-19 outbreak helped curb the spread of the virus and lowered the pressure on health systems. However, they also affected the global trading system, and the supply and demand of agricultural and food products. In response to concerns over food security and food safety worldwide, many countries reacted immediately to apply policy measures aiming to limit potentially adverse impacts on domestic markets.
Adapting targeted support to Kuchi pastoralists in Afghanistan for COVID-19
Kuchi pastoralists, numbering around 2.4 million people in Afghanistan, are one of the region’s most vulnerable groups. Their condition has since been exacerbated by COVID-19 and containment measures related to the pandemic. As part of its emerging COVID-19 response, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Afghanistan has taken their unique needs into account in their intervention and re-programming design, which addresses both direct and secondary effects of the virus.
Protecting agricultural workers through remote COVID-19 awareness campaigns in Pakistan
The continuing COVID-19 pandemic—and related lockdowns—triggered a massive cash crisis around the world for families who depend on informal earnings, including daily wage workers. In Pakistan, a nationwide lockdown was imposed on 21 March 2020. This had major reverberations on the food supply chain and agriculture sector, where restrictive measures threatened the livelihoods of workers and smallholder farmers. In total, as of 12 July 2020, there were 248 872 confirmed cases throughout Pakistan.
SARS-CoV-2 in animals used for fur farming. GLEWS+ Risk assessment (20 January 2021)
This Tripartite Risk Assessment, as a joint effort under the GLEWS+ initiative, evaluates the risk of introduction and spread of SARS-CoV-2 within fur farming systems as well as whether farmed fur animals could play a significant role in the spread of SARS-CoV-2 to humans via spillover. Additionally, using a One Health approach, the Tripartite evaluated the risk of the escaped minks leading to the establishment of a viral reservoir in susceptible wildlife populations. This work provides guidance to Members on this newly emerging threat.
