Effect of COVID restrictions on seven low income countries

COVID-19 has spread to practically every corner of the globe since its inception more than two years ago. Hundreds of millions of individuals have been infected, and health systems around the world have been overburdened. However, its impact extends beyond the direct health implications.

Measures to stop it spreading, such as travel bans and lockdowns, have wreaked havoc on businesses and food systems around the world.

Despite their worldwide significance, pandemic-related restrictions have a wide range of consequences for individuals. Massive stimulus investment in the West has helped to alleviate the economic strain of the lockdowns. Sharp decreases in employment and income in low and middle-income countries have matched or surpassed those in higher-income countries.

However, the majority of citizens in underdeveloped countries have received little financial assistance and have little or no savings.

According to research, the poorest people in the world bear a disproportionate share of pandemic-related restrictions. As a result, the topic of how to best tailor mitigation measures to various types of economies has arisen.

Farmers in low and middle income countries said that COVID-19 policies had a negative impact on food buying, income creation, and access to inputs, which is consistent with previous research on the negative effects of pandemic restrictions.

The emphasis on smallholder farmers is crucial. In many countries, this group is responsible for the majority of food production. They are also susceptible to hunger and poverty.

More than 9,000 smallholder farmers in Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Kenya,Zimbabwe and  Vietnam were interviewed. The seven countries represent a wide range of COVID-19 containment strategies, and all rely heavily on smallholder farmers for sustenance.