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Fears of COVID-19 transmission, along with social-distancing measures, have disrupted many important public services worldwide, both directly and indirectly. In India, Phuong Nguyen and colleagues conducted surveys to compare use of public health and nutrition services before, during and after COVID-19 lockdowns in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Despite extra efforts from frontline workers during and after lockdowns, services were disrupted; in addition, demand for those services decreased post-lockdown because of the fear of pandemic health risks.

Vulnerable populations need reliable information regarding how to protect themselves from the spread of the COVID-19. In this way, information becomes a form of assistance in itself, giving people the opportunity to make better choices and protect themselves and their loved ones.  However, successful communication campaigns need to be designed in a thoughtful way. What is the socio-economic context? What are the main community, and potentially conflict, dynamics? What or who is driving social behavior?

Several constraints limit the ability of smallholder farmers in low and middle income countries (LMICs) to reach their production potential. One such constraint is access to formal finance; smallholders and other agricultural value chain participants frequently cannot access credit necessary to invest in new crops or technologies and deal with risks and shocks and/or savings products necessary to safely carry wealth from harvest to planting.

In 2018, African swine fever (ASF), a deadly hemorrhagic disease found in pigs, was reported for the first time in China. By mid-2019, the disease had infected hundreds of millions of pigs—anywhere from 30 to 70 percent of the country’s swine population. Millions of pigs were culled in an effort to slow the spread of the disease, resulting in a drastic reduction in the volume of Chinese pork produced.

The FAO Food Price Index rose 3 percent in October to reach its highest level since July 2011. The October Index stood 31.3 percent higher than its October 2020 levels. Last month’s increase was driven primarily by cereal (particularly wheat) and vegetable oil prices.