Page 29 - Vol.36-No.8 issue

HEALTH AND FOOD SYSTEMS

IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON PEOPLE’S LIVELIHOODS,

THEIR HEALTH AND OUR FOOD SYSTEMS

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a
dramatic loss of human life worldwide
and presents an unprecedented chal-
lenge to public health, food systems
and the world of work. The economic
and social disruption caused by the
pandemic is devastating: tens of mil-
lions of people are at risk of falling into
extreme poverty, while the number of
undernourished people, currently esti-
mated at nearly 690 million, could in-
crease by up to 132 million by the end
of the year.
The pandemic has been affecting the and nutrition of millions of women and
Millions of enterprises face an exis- entire food system and has laid bare men are under threat, with those in
tential threat. Nearly half of the world’s its fragility. Border closures, trade re- low-income countries, particularly the
3.3 billion global workforce are at strictions and confinement measures most marginalized populations, which
risk of losing their livelihoods. Infor- have been preventing farmers from ac- include small-scale farmers and indig-
mal economy workers are particularly cessing markets, including for buying enous peoples, being hardest hit.
vulnerable because the majority lack inputs and selling their produce, and Countries dealing with existing hu-
social protection and access to quali- agricultural workers from harvesting manitarian crises or emergencies are
ty health care and have lost access to crops, thus disrupting domestic and particularly exposed to the effects of
productive assets. Without the means international food supply chains and COVID-19. Responding swiftly to the
to earn an income during lockdowns, reducing access to healthy, safe and pandemic, while ensuring that humani-
many are unable to feed themselves diverse diets. The pandemic has deci- tarian and recovery assistance reaches
and their families. For most, no income mated jobs and placed millions of live- those most in need, is critical.
means no food, or, at best, less food lihoods at risk. As breadwinners lose
and less nutritious food. jobs, fall ill and die, the food security
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