Agriculture: How it is going on during the Covid-19 Pandemic
I chose this topic because public life is now shut around the world and, most importantly, the United States of America. I also live in the region dominated by agriculture as the primary source of livelihood. Similarly, I am involved with tractors on our farm, where we practice large scale farming of strawberries. Covid-19 now threatens this lifestyle as we are forced to cut on reduce or movements from the farm to the market, we don’t interact regularly not just with workers but also other farmers and suppliers, and we are also forced by the virus to behave differently as compared to before the outbreak of the virus. We are also using gloves now and maintaining social distancing even on the farm.
The Covid-19 pandemic has sent a lot of panic among farmers. They do not move free to transport their agricultural products to the market or farm inputs to their farms because of the lockdown and curfews in most countries in the world. Interactions have been minimized or curtailed, making farmers think of alternative ways of carrying on with their agricultural practices. Some have opted to embrace technology by communicating and interacting with other farmers or their suppliers and clients using technology. However, some farmers dealing heavy machines like tractors cannot survive in such kind of arrangement because they must move from point to another and it is now not possible because of the measures taken by the government to contain the spread of the virus.
I believe that the Covid-19 will not last for the next three months. But one fact remains for sure; it will negatively affect the agricultural practices of different types of farming, be it dairy farming or crop farming. Even though most developed economies may not felt the impact on food security, its impact on agricultural products and inputs will be highly affected negatively, especially those supplies coming from China. Currently, the impact of the virus is slowly affecting the way we do things. For instance, we are forced to keep a distance away from each other put on gloves when handling strawberries. The virus seems to spread everywhere, and we are required to be cautious when handling farm produce. However, I assume that strawberries are safe to eat because we do not only wear gloves when handling them but also observe social distancing as advised by the government and health experts. My other worries are the impact that Covid-19 will have the deliveries of plant protection products, fertilizer, and seeds not just in the short-term but also in the long-term because most of the production plants in China have been closed down because of the virus. However, I feel that the large part crop and animal production may only be affected by the coronavirus crisis in isolated cases, for example, in the short-term point of view.
The questions I ask myself about the implication of Covid-19 are as follows; will covid-19 change our lifestyle of farming completely or just in the short-term as it lasts? Will the demand and supply chain of agricultural produce like strawberries be affected by the virus just in the short-term or in the long-run as well? What is the state of food security during this time of the Corona Virus and post-corona virus given that most people are not going to the farm now? How will Covid-19 affect social protection programs? How are countries responding to food chains in Covid-19?
Will covid-19 change our lifestyle of farming completely or just in the short-term as it lasts?
Covid-19 has altered the way we used to live and interact as well as how farmers used to practice farming. Most agribusiness and business farmers are continuing with operations because agriculture has been listed in many countries as a critical sector. However, they have increased their procedures of hygiene as they make sure that their farms and facilities continue to operate. This is a new lifestyle that we anticipate to continue even after COVID-19.
Some farms are operating with reduced staff as compared to how they operated before Covid-19. Trokie (2020 p.2) observes that the current lockdown may continue beyond the anticipated time, and the agricultural industry is prepared to deal with such a situation. He says, “the agriculture industry is concerned about logistic issues, whether it’s moving raw materials across closed borders or having enough healthy employees to keep facilities operational and products moving” (Troskie, 2020 p.5).
Will the demand and supply chain of agricultural produce like strawberries be affected by the virus just in the short-term or in the long-run as well?
Food supply is a complicated web of actors and interactions involving shipping, processing plants, transportation, inputs, and producers. As the Covid-19 continues to spread and the number of infected people plummets, there is no doubt that the food system will be tested as well as strained in the days ahead. There is a likelihood that we will see a decline in food production though it is not noticeable now.
There is also likely to be lower capacity use in food products, and the supply chains of food in developing countries like Africa will be disrupted. Reduction in the labor force as a result of Covid-19 will affect labor-intensive forms of agricultural production. Sahoo & Rath (2020 p.65) argue that “currently there is no noticeable impact of Covid-19 on crop production, but it would likely prevent access to inputs and market by farmers”.
What is the state of food security during this time of the Corona Virus and post-corona virus era given that most people are not going to the farm now?
The state of food security during Covid-19 reveal that global markets are well supplied as well as the prices of commodities are generally stable. For instance, the global production and price of the three most consumed food produce like maize, wheat, and rice are at an all-time high or near an all-time high. ‘
Continued restrictions of movement and export restrictions as far as the global status of food security means that the future of food security concerning Conid-19 is not secure, especially for countries that rely on imports for survival. According to the World Bank (2020 p.1), “agriculture ministers from Latin America, ASEAN countries, G20, and the Caribbean agreed to keep global food markets open and refrain from imposing new trade barriers so that food is not lacking”.
How will Covid-19 affect social protection programs?
We expect that the delivery of social benefits and services will be potentially disrupted because of the so many measures of confinement. Covid-19 presents a lot of new challenges as well as risks to the population. Confinement may deny the population access to nutritious agricultural products leading to more health problems requiring social benefits and services.
Therefore, social protection systems may be hit hard, especially those social protection systems that are not risk-informed. They may not have operating procedures for contingency, which will lead to financial, operational, coverage, and delay challenges. For instance, “cash and in-kind transfers that do not use electronic vouchers may require not only gathering but also physical contacts which is not advisable during Covid-19” (Blofield & Filgueira, 2020).
How countries are responding to food chains in Covid-19
In the effort and solidarity of slowing down the spread of Covid-19, countries have shut down their economies. It is important to note that supermarket shelves are stocked at least for now. If the crisis continues, then it means that food supply chains will be strained. There is already a slowdown in the shipping industry because the ports have closed down, and we can only expect that in the coming days, food supply chains will be disrupted by logistic hurdles.
Countries are devising mechanisms of working together to ensure the steady supply of food and a functional food chain. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (2020), there is no scarcity of food this time as compared to 2007-2008 pandemics since the “supply of staple commodities is functioning well, and the crops need to be transported to where they are needed most”.
References
Blofield, M., & Filgueira, F. (2020). Covid-19 and Latin America: Social Impact, Policies and a Fiscal Case for an Emergency Social Protection Floor.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) (2020 March, 29). COVID-19 and the risk to food supply chains: How to respond? Retrieved from: http://www.fao.org/3/ca8388en/CA8388EN.pdf
Sahoo, P. P., & Rath, S. (2020). Potential Impact of Corona Virus on Agriculture Sector. Biotica Research Today, 2(4), 64-65.
The World Bank (2020 April, 23). Food Security and Covid-19. Retrieved from: https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/agriculture/brief/food-security-and-covid-19
Troskie, D. P. (2020). IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON AGRICULTURE AND FOOD IN THE WESTERN CAPE.