COVID-19, Agriculture and Food Security in Ghana; The Way Forward

Abstract

Food production, its availability and accessibility will continue to be a key contributor to human existence. The world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2020 and its effect trickled to reduced production in many industries across the globe. Understanding effects of the pandemic in Ghana triggered this paper. The study took the form of a desk review where current studies across the globe on the effect of the pandemic on agriculture and food security were reviewed, after which it was supported by data from questionnaire administrations. Across the globe, agricultural production experienced a reduction which phased into food security and its pricing. This was not limited to the extremely affected countries, but also, in countries were COVID-19 infections were low, agriculture, food security and its pricing experienced negative impacts. One key limiting factor that spiked the challenge in the agricultural sector was that reduced availability of labour for production. In many leading food producing countries, the challenge become acute when perishable food crops began to get damaged. In Ghana, the virus similarly led to restrictions in movements in and between epicenters. It was reported that, 77.4% of Ghanaians in a study conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service were negatively affected by the increased prices in food sold in the country. Without immediate and effective management as well as policy interventions from the Ghanaian government, it is highly possible for most farmers and agricultural businesses to completely collapse. This communication is to highlight some ongoing and disturbing effects of the pandemic to policy makers as well as individual and governmental strategies that are been put in place to curb adverse effects on food production. This will help enhance Ghanaians standards of living amidst economic challenges.

COVID-19 and its impact on the profit of mango value chain actors

“…It reflects the impact of COVID-19 on the various sections of the value chain and its actors, which invariably affects their profit earned. It was captured by [ 5 , 20 , 23 ] that COVID-19 influenced and disrupted the activities of the value chain actors. From the producers’ side these include the disruption of input accessibility, unreliable market, low or uncertain prices for farm produce and panic-harvesting to avert heavy losses.…”

“…The study further revealed that processors and retailers play a crucial role in ensuring information dissemination due to their contact with a lot of producers and consumers and other stakeholders. However, the stakeholders with the lowest number of ties are input dealers and wholesalers (4), and non-FBO farmers (5). The weak ties position them on the periphery of the network.…”

“…The COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan, China in December 2019 [ 3 ] but Ghana recorded its first case in the second week of March, 2020 [ 4 ]. In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) described the virus as a global pandemic [ 5 ] and hence needed a rigorous approach to contain its spread. The fast spread of the virus caused a lot of countries to collaborate with the WHO to put stringent measures in place to halt its impact and to minimize its implications on human, food value chain and society at large [ 6 ].…”

“…The COVID-19 restrictions further limited the flow of information which is necessary for improvement in the profit of value chain actors. An economic slump in the value chain actors’ revenue which is a function of their profit due to the impact of COVID-19 is one interesting finding revealed by [ 5 , 11 ]. In the same way, [ 17 ] pointed that the agricultural food supplier vulnerability to economic shocks due the COVID-19 prohibitions and closure of market facilities could ditch the profit of value chain actors.…”

“…These factors, together with the deficiency of some empirical studies on the performance of value chain actors in the mango industry underscore the timeliness and the need for this study. Though, some studies have looked at the impact of the COVID-19 on labour availability, business performance and the Ghanaian economy [ 5 , 14 , 20 ], the goal of this paper is to fill the knowledge gap by assessing the impact of COVID-19 on the profit and the governance structure of the mango value chain by providing empirical evidence that gives a better comprehension of how the actors could be resilient in the face of global shock.…”