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The Impacts of COVID-19 on Farmers' Income and Food Security In The Globalized Cassava Value Chains In Cambodia and Vietnam
Scientists from the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, led by Vanya Slavchevska, undertook a rapid study to gather evidence on the initial impacts of COVID-19 on cassava smallholders in Cambodia and Vietnam.
The research evaluates how smallholders coped with the economic consequences of COVID-19 in the short term, and whether livelihood diversification strategies mediated or exacerbated the impacts of the crisis.
The COVID-19 pandemic context
FAO Food Price Index Reaches 10-Year High in 2021
In December 2021, the FAO Food Price Index fell by 0.9 percent from the previous month, with vegetable oils and sugar prices both seeing significant declines. However, in 2021 overall, the Index reached a 10-year high and was up by 28.1 percent above 2020 levels.
How Can We Lower the Price of Fruits and Vegetables? Exploring Ways to Deliver Vouchers to Consumers
Fruits and vegetables are a key source of micronutrients in diets, and adequate fruit and vegetable consumption can help stave off non-communicable diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults consume 400 grams of fruits and vegetables every day. Yet globally, fruit and vegetable consumption often falls far below that target, and research suggests consumption is particularly low in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Can we monitor climate and food crisis risks in real time?
According to the 2021 Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC), 155 million people in 55 countries and territories in 2020 faced acute food insecurity and were in need of urgent assistance, the highest number since this type of global reporting started. The economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic was an important driver of the recent surge, conspiring with the structural drivers of food crises -- conflict, economic shocks, and weather extremes. These drivers are mutually reinforcing and are expected to intensify in the coming years.
Policy seminar: Prospects for reforming agricultural support as WTO MC12 approaches
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted trade of food and farm products, and the agricultural sector is under immense pressure to overcome trade barriers while also responding to climate change. With ongoing tensions between major economies and with current structural impacts in trade and food security, the upcoming (and now twice-postponed due to the pandemic) 12th WTO Ministerial Conference is necessary to provide an opportunity to address and reform agricultural domestic support and to update the global trade book.