COVID-19 and rural poverty: Supporting and protecting the rural poor in times of pandemic
While the immediate impact of COVID19 in most parts of the world has been primarily urban, the economic impact of COVID19 spread quickly to rural areas. In most cases, the contagion will eventually follow. Most of the world’s poor and food insecure live in rural areas, and although physical distance, relative isolation, lower population density and their own production of food play in favour for rural areas, they are particularly vulnerable to suffering severe impact from the pandemic and the ensuing economic contraction. Rural areas, particularly in the developing world, are much less prepared to deal with the direct and indirect impact of the crisis.
This brief presents a series of general and policy recommendations to ensure that the needs and interests of the rural poor are addressed in COVID-19 planning, response and recovery measures around the world in order to mitigate the impact of the pandemic in rural areas as much as possible.