A novel approach to communication and knowledge sharing: COVID-19 risk mitigation among food chain workers
Food production, marketing and distribution are essential services. A range of food chain workers such as farmers, food delivery drivers, butchers and market sellers, work tirelessly every day to sustain our food chains. Even in the face of COVID-19-associated risks, these essential workers are keeping communities alive, fed and healthy.
Given the particular vulnerability of food chain workers in food-insecure countries, the impacts of the pandemic on their food security and livelihoods – and on the functioning of the food chains they make possible – are of serious concern.
FAO’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience (OER) supported critical agricultural value chains in food crisis countries, with a range of partners under a global project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA). This project supported COVID-19 awareness-raising and sensitization campaigns among food chain workers by producing a communications toolbox to support FAO decentralized offices and partners in the development of tailored COVID-19 communication packages to increase the capacity to mitigate the risks of COVID-19 transmission along the food supply chain.
A second outcome was the documentation of emerging RCCE-related COVID-19 responses through the development and dissemination of fact sheets, films, videos, and other multimedia knowledge products. The project was titled, Global level coordination and advocacy to ensure people along the food supply chain are not at risk of COVID-19 transmission.
Since late 2019, the
COVID-19 pandemic continued to spread around the world, devastating
lives and livelihoods. With the worrying number of incidents where
markets and processing facilities became “hubs of COVID-19 infection”,
there has been growing concern about the potential impacts of COVID-19
and related containment efforts on food security and livelihoods. This
is especially true in contexts of high vulnerability, in populations
that were already experiencing food crises and in nomadic communities,
who were particularly vulnerable to the impacts of pandemic-related
movement restrictions.
In addition, in some food-insecure
countries, many food chain workers were lacking correct information
regarding the virus transmission, and guidance on how they could protect
themselves at work, when travelling to work, and at home. Rural
audiences are often difficult to reach, and messages developed for
global audiences may not resonate with populations in rural contexts, or
messages may not be in their local languages, impeding certain
population groups the access to the information.
While animals or food of animal origin cannot transmit the COVID-19 virus to humans, the COVID-19 awareness-raising and sensitization campaigns among food chain workers would prevent contamination along the food chain and lessen the risk of essential food chain workers becoming ill with the virus, impacting not only their health, but also causing a disruption in the food supply chain, which would have repercussions in availability and access to food for wider amount of people.
Key messages on COVID-19 prevention for people along the food supply chain were identified with guidance from the WG. Those messages were then incorporated into communication materials in a way that was adapted to the target audiences in the different countries and contexts.
The communication materials produced under the project were easily accessible via an online file sharing platform, with blank versions for other organizations to use with their own logo, as well as a platform hosting all products with FAO branding.
Calls for local-level awareness and action around COVID-19 required outreach that was adapted to the communication channels and methods most used by local communities and that took into consideration local contexts. The team supported country offices to develop communication materials in local languages and to deploy series of radio broadcasts to reach agriculture producers in remote areas, in combination with promoting sustainable agricultural practices, to boost community awareness on the risks of COVID-19 transmission and prevention measures; reaching more than 11 million rural people to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission through the local platforms and channels, and to collaborate to identify success stories and lessons learned at the country level.
A dedicated web page was also developed on the KORE website to host the various products and webinars developed under this project, which includes animated films, webinars, factsheets, “Voices from the field” videos, photo galleries and posters.
This project was
implemented with a new approach, involving colleagues from across the
Organization and external partners. The project team was faced with
challenges due to the never-before-seen nature of the approach, which,
thanks to smooth collaboration, were overcome. This approach to project
implementation could be used as a model for future FAO projects. The
involvement of other units and teams helped to expand the reach of the
project and ensure the delivery of activities.
Good Practices
Gathering technical information about best practices on how to mitigate the risk of transmission of COVID-19 along the food supply chain and turning them into key messages to be disseminated - reaching the most remote locations through a Risk Communication and Community Engagement Approach, for which guidelines in the four UN languages were developed and published.
Working with WHO, OIE, ILO, along with FAO’s joint OER/CJW EMC platform, technical divisions NSA, ESF, NFI (fisheries and aquaculture), ESP, PSUI, and decentralised offices sand the KORE and OCC to develop and disseminate technical material, develop posters, films, animation and host webinars.
Taking technical information and turning it into something usable for small communities and giving people an opportunity to tell their story. This small programme is an excellent example of knowledge sharing and partnership that could be broadened beyond the COVID-19 response.
Factors that are essential for implementing a project supported by various teams and units are: regular and transparent communication between all those involved, great collaboration and a joint willingness to find solutions to any challenges that occurred, regular meetings to ensure tasks were taken care, good leadership and support for the team.
Lessons Learned
Considering this new approach was being adapted as it was being rolled out, it would be essential to develop clear SOPs and a general model to follow for future projects to clarify all roles and ensure success and minimal challenges.
In terms of production of communication materials that were developed with guidance from several external partners, a clear way of working would need to be developed at the onset to reduce obstacles along the way in terms of brand use and clearance lines.