The ongoing pandemic pandemic caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus has lead to a devastating loss of life and a disruption to the daily lives of billions of people across the planet, and millions have suddenly found themselves unemployed. Governments are doing what they can to support their citizens during lock-down, including direct payments to cover lost salaries and stimulus checks to support individuals and businesses. While these measures are undoubtedly necessary in order to prop up national economies, those who work in informal sectors of the economy may not directly benefit from these measures which may lead to negative impacts on food insecurity among those least able to weather this dramatic shock.
Here in my home state of California, we have a large undocumented immigrant population that work on large farms throughout the state, particularly in the Central Valley. As they are informal workers and not a part of the Social Security, they are not offered the same protections as other workers. Additionally, as of now, they will not be receiving stimulus checks from the government, effectively forcing them to continue working in potentially dangerous situations which may further the spread of COVID-19. Ironically, their work has been labelled as essential in order to continue feeding the rest of the country whereas their essential benefits (which other workers are provided with) are not being considered. Add to this the sudden need to pay for childcare and potentially any medical costs, and the risk to food security among these workers becomes apparent. If, for whatever reason, there were to be a labor shortage among farm workers, food security of the country could take a large hit. As a whole, we live on a precarious edge which my crumble underneath us if the pandemic worsens.
Thankfully, there is no current crisis among food supply, markets, or prices (FAO, World Bank). Unfortunately, it appears that that pandemic will instead double the number those suffering form acute hunger to a quarter of a billion by the end of 2020 (WFP). As is disturbingly common, it is those who have the least capacity to manage a crisis that are most affected. These global hunger hot-spots include areas embroiled in conflict like Yemen, or those ravaged by swarms of locusts in East Africa (Forbes, World Bank). Small holder farmers, who have no other options, must continue to work their fields in order to survive. It is at times like these that we are reminded that the missions of organizations in the CGIAR network, including CIAT, are of critical importance in providing research and support that will allow vulnerable populations to build the capacities necessary to withstand emergencies. This is a difficult time for everyone across the globe. While many of us have the luxury of being able to stay at home while maintaining a modicum of income and food security, we must not forget those who, lacking these same protections, must put themselves at risk and go out every day to provide for themselves and their families.
Sources: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/agriculture/brief/food-security-and-covid-19
https://www.wfp.org/news/covid-19-will-double-number-people-facing-food-crises-unless-swift-action-taken, http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1272058/icode/