COVID-19 Lockdown, Food Systems and Urban–Rural Partnership: Case of Nagpur, India

Abstract

The globally fast-spreading novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is now testing the abilities of all countries to manage its widespread implications on public health. To effectively contain its impacts, a nation-wide temporary lockdown was enforced in India. The resultant panic buying and stockpiling incidents together with spread of misinformation created a sense of food insecurity at local level. This paper discusses a specific case of Nagpur from the worst affected Maharashtra state of India, wherein the urban–rural food supply chains were reportedly disrupted. Based on formal interviews with local government officials, a month-long timeline of COVID-19 outbreak in Nagpur was studied along with the consequent government initiatives for maintaining public health and food supply. While the city residents were confined to their homes, this study then assessed their perceived food security at household level, along with their “Immediate Concerns” and “Key Information Sources”. Through online surveys at two different time intervals, the concerns of “Food and Grocery” were found to be rising, and “Government Apps and Websites” were identified as the most reliable source of information. Based on the research findings, the authors further suggest specific policy recommendations for addressing the immediate and long-term concerns related to food systems in Nagpur.

COVID-19: From health crises to food security anxiety and policy implications

“…The results show that stay-at-home orders (SAHO) and partial lockdowns that SSA governments implemented as measures to prevent the spread of the virus were associated with amplified food security worries (Arndt et al 2020 ). Several recent studies have found that mobility restrictions and social distancing measures due to COVID-19 have further triggered consumers’ worries about food insecurity, reflected in hoarding behaviours, panic-buying and stockpiling of groceries and rapid changes in food consumption habits and diets (Coopi 2020 ; FEWSNET 2020 ; Sukhwani et al 2020 ; Pulighe and Lupia 2020 ). It is not surprising that individuals hoarded food given the demonstrated association between food, nutrition and health, especially in boosting the immune systems and reducing susceptibility to infection (Naja and Hamadeh 2020 ).…”

“…With regard to urban areas, COVID-19 has expanded in many cities to a crisis of urban equity, urban finance, safety, joblessness or labour layoffs, public services, infrastructure and transport, all of which are disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable in society (UN 2020b ). In rural areas of developing countries, the ability to produce and consume one’s own food may be somewhat protective of food and diets during extreme events (Sukhwani et al 2020 ). However, poverty and informal employment rates are generally higher in rural areas, whereas access to social networks is relatively lower, which combines to create a situation of extreme vulnerability (FAO-CELAC 2020 ).…”

“…These prescriptions restricted mobility, livelihoods, gender equality and family support networks, leading to socioeconomic consequences, including major loss of income (Ragasa and Lambrecht 2020 ) and disruption of agriculture activities such as farming, access to farm inputs and markets (Arndt et al 2020 ) that have exacerbated food insecurity and related nutrition deficiencies (Naja and Hamadeh 2020 ). Depending on the implementation of these measures and related policies to ease the effects of COVID-19 on a national basis, households may experience varying levels of concern for food and nutrition security, especially where urban–rural partnerships become severed (Sukhwani et al 2020 ). The impact of food security deterioration under COVID-19 has worsened the abilities for compliance of African countries with the right to food as protected in article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and related instruments (Mechlem 2004 ).…”

COVID-19 and the emerging research trends in environmental studies: a bibliometric evaluation

“…Researchers have also raised concerns that COVID-19 may threaten the implementation of the sustainable development goals (Fleetwood 2020 ; Leal Filho et al 2020 ; Sakamoto et al 2020 ). To address the problems of food supply, researchers have been proposing different strategies like urban agriculture (Pulighe and Lupia 2020 ), urban-rural collaborations (Cattivelli and Rusciano 2020 ; Sukhwani et al 2020 ), shorter supply chains (Pulighe and Lupia 2020 ), and use of innovative agri-food systems based on artificial intelligence (Di Vaio et al 2020 ). These studies highlight the need of alternative food systems having high resilience to such global crisis.…”

The Behavior of Dairy Consumers in Short Food Supply Chains during COVID-19 Pandemic in Suceava Area, Romania

“…), and their interactions along the various stages of the food value chain, such as production, storage, processing, transportation, distribution, etc. [11]. The COVID-19 pandemic has particularly affected these interactions.…”