‘We would rather die from Covid-19 than from hunger’ - Exploring lockdown stringencies in five African countries

Birner, Regina; Blaschke, Nikola; Bosch, Christine; Daum, Thomas; Graf, Sarah Lena; Güttler, Denise; Heni, Jakob; Kariuki, Juliet B.; Katusiime, Roseline; Seidel, Anna; Senon, Zinsou Narcisse; Woode, George

doi:10.1016/j.gfs.2021.100571

Cited by 22 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…For example, Rwanda and Vietnam have been rightly praised for exemplary containment of COVID-19 ( Karim et al, 2021 , Van Tan, 2021 ), but during the periods of stringent restrictions, we observed severe food insecurity outcomes. Media analysis from five African countries has shown that popular narratives often framed the situation as a balance between containment of the COVID-19 virus and food security; and that this was a hot topic in all five of the locations studied ( Birner et al, 2021 ). Policy responses often relaxed after complaints of food insecurity or economic hardship were received, and some measures were taken by governments which have not been captured by the data presented in this survey.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on the surveys reported here (conducted in the latter half of 2020) and various literature reporting other studies based on data from 2020, negative food security and economic outcomes were clearly evident amongst rural households, and many households dug into their reserves to buffer against income losses and food shortages. Media analysis ( Birner et al, 2021 ) shows that popular narratives in five African countries commonly framed a choice between exacerbating poverty and containing COVID-19, and that often the governments relaxed containment measures in acknowledgement of the economic hardships caused (Rwanda was an example of this). Going forward, we conclude that the careful monitoring of economic and food security implications of non-pharmaceutical interventions is needed in order to minimise undesirable outcomes for human welfare and development.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Perceived effects of COVID-19 restrictions on smallholder farmers: Evidence from seven lower- and middle-income countries

Hammond

Siegal²,

Milner

et al. 2022

Agricultural Systems

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CONTEXT The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented global disruption and continues to wreak havoc. Dire predictions were made about the risks to smallholder farmers in lower- and middle- income, but hard data have been lacking. We present the results from 9201 interviews with smallholder farmers from seven countries. OBJECTIVE The objectives are to describe: i) how farmers perceive the key effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and containment measures on livelihoods and food security; ii) the effects on agricultural activities; iii) the coping strategies households deployed. METHODS Household surveys were conducted as part of ongoing monitoring programs during the latter half of 2020. Sites in seven countries were covered: Burundi; Kenya; Rwanda; Tanzania; Uganda; and then Vietnam and Zambia. Findings are representative of smallholder farmers across multiple districts per country. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Our results show that the effects of the COVID-19 containment measures were widespread and often perceived to be severe. Food purchase, off farm income, sale of farm produce, and access to crop inputs were all affected. In locations under more stringent restrictions during the time of the survey, up to 80% of households had to reduce food consumption or variety. Almost all households with off-farm incomes reported reductions, by half on average. A half to three-quarters of households (depending on the location) with income from farm sales reported losses compared to the pre-pandemic situation. In locations with more relaxed containment measures in place during the time of the survey, less frequent and less severe economic and food security outcomes were perceived by the respondent, with around 20% of households reporting negative outcomes. Mobility restrictions, reduced market access, crashes in sale price for agricultural goods, and soaring prices for food purchase were key factors. Sale prices generally dropped for all agricultural products in any given location, and affected not only high value perishable products, but also staple crops such as maize and cassava. Depending on the location, between 30% and 90% of the households applied coping strategies in response to the pandemic during 2020. There was an almost complete absence of official aid amongst households interviewed. SIGNIFICANCE Our results raise the thorny issue of how best to balance containment of COVID-19 against the wellbeing of the vulnerable rural population in lower- and middle-income countries. There is a risk that the buffering capacity of rural people will become exhausted. Possible policy measures to limit negative outcomes include i) tiered mobility restrictions with travel allowed for economic reasons; ii) short-term price guarantee schemes to stabilise the food system; iii) direct aid; iv) the timely re-installation of distribution channels for agricultural inputs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceived effects of COVID-19 restrictions on smallholder farmers: Evidence from seven lower- and middle-income countries

Hammond

Siegal²,

Milner

et al. 2022

Agricultural Systems

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“…The agriculture and the commerce ministries had to implement measures to create market rebalancing as there was a likelihood of starvation or famine. 84 Due to the fear of famine, some of these African countries avoided strict and prolonged lockdown measures. This occurred partly because several of these African countries depended on imported goods.…”

Section: Historijski Pogledi 8 -Historical Viewsmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 in Africa: An Economic and Social Interpretation (2019-2022)

Adu-Gyamfi¹,

Mohammed²,

Obeng³

et al. 2022

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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a lot of challenges to the globalized world. Globally, it has decimated over six million lives. Since 2019, it has shook the world in many respects, especially, it disrupted economies and societies and halted the majority of human endeavor. Commentaries and reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the media showed an alarming situation that could be damning in low and middle income countries. Economic pundits and global public health experts also anticipated doom and gloom for African countries. However, in terms of mortality, the Americas, Europe and Asia have suffered more losses. Irrespective of these loses in Europe, Africa’s case needs better appreciation within our contemporary historical discourse. The burgeoning challenge of the COVID disease and mortalities arising thereby, among other things, necessitated the introduction of policies based on the WHO’s historical understanding of how the world has dealt with pandemics in the past. Some of the strategies that were deployed to fight the pandemic included hand washing under running water with soap, the use of alcohol based hand sanitizers, the wearing of nose masks, social distancing, self-isolation as well as partial and complete lockdowns of states and communities. The major economic disruption really came about as a result of many lockdown policies that were implemented by several countries in Africa without proper reference to their own societal contexts. These issues notwithstanding, it is important to emphasize that the extent of the impact on different communities differed to a large extent, even though there were similar levels of the nature of the infection and the general economic outlook among the global community. This current contribution on the COVID-19 discourse used political economy and economic shock as bases to highlight the extent of the impact of the disease by highlighting examples from respective countries in Africa, namely, Ghana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Algeria and South Africa. In particular, the impact of policies like lock-down on some of these African countries are highlighted for further discussions in future empirical research. The study relied on contemporary historical evidence from multidisciplinary sources on health, economics, policy, and other related studies on epidemiology, public health, health education and promotion, reports and sources from the World Health Organization (WHO). Specifically, the authors have used published research in Lancet, the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, BMJ Global Health, Frontiers in Public Health and the Pan African Medical Journal. The others were African Development Review, Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Africa Spectrum and International Journal of Financial Research including several other empirical researches. In attempting a social and economic interpretation based on contemporary historical sense, the findings of this present study suggest that African political actors or leaders should make persistent or steady efforts to strengthen the economies of their states to lessen economic shocks and social costs that come about as a result of pandemics such as the COVID-19. It also identified the fact that within the globalized space, application of policies from other countries including international organizations should not be devoid of context.

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“…In the COVID-19 pandemic, long-term and strict social blockade may result in some low-income people completely losing their financial savings. When this happens, they are more willing to break the blockade and go out to find jobs and food ( 58 ). Members of the disability group often have low incomes ( 59 ), meaning they will be more economically impacted by the pandemic.…”

Section: Provide Reasonable Financial Protection To People With Disabilities In the Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experience and Discussion: Safeguards for People With Disabilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic in China

Wang

2021

Front. Public Health

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The special vulnerability of people with disability (PWD) in the COIVD-19 pandemic has been confirmed by many studies, but data shows that the infection rate of PWD in China is lower than for non-disabled people. We believe that this difference can be attributed to the Chinese government's targeted safeguards for the disabled community during the pandemic, including support for disability empowerment, the establishment of a remote interactive decision-making system, fair vaccine distribution and economic protection for PWD. The professionalism of decision-makers and the maintenance of channels of interaction with PWD are also important. All of these changes have benefitted China's public health policy and legal framework. This system, which has six components (governance, prevention, response, knowledge, coordination, and people), enables the country to quickly formulate a series of safeguards for PWD that have a sufficient legal basis. We believe that China's rapidly improving public health policy and legal framework will make a hugely significant impact by alleviating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the PWD community. Countries should pay more attention to discovering the special needs and obstacles of PWD in the COIVD-19 pandemic: in referring to China's experience, they should explore the protection framework for persons with disabilities and adjust it to their own needs on the basis of national conditions.

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‘We would rather die from Covid-19 than from hunger’ - Exploring lockdown stringencies in five African countries

Cited by 22 publications

References 18 publications

Perceived effects of COVID-19 restrictions on smallholder farmers: Evidence from seven lower- and middle-income countries

Perceived effects of COVID-19 restrictions on smallholder farmers: Evidence from seven lower- and middle-income countries

COVID-19 in Africa: An Economic and Social Interpretation (2019-2022)

Experience and Discussion: Safeguards for People With Disabilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic in China

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