Food system disruption: initial livelihood and dietary effects of COVID-19 on vegetable producers in India
Food system disruption: initial livelihood and dietary effects of COVID-19 on vegetable producers in India
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DOI：
10.1007/s12571-020-01064-5
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发表时间：
2020-07-14
期刊：
影响因子：
6.7
通讯作者：
Ramasamy, Srinivasan
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Harris, Jody;Depenbusch, Lutz;Ramasamy, Srinivasan
新冠肺炎大流行对食品系统的破坏以及对生计和饮食的影响已成为人们关注的焦点。我们的目标是调查这种多层面的冲击对印度蔬菜种植者的生产、销售、价格、收入和饮食的影响，他们既是营养密集型食品的生产者，也是消费者。我们对4个州的448名农民进行了一次快速电话调查，这是首批记录大流行对农户的早期影响和政策反应的研究之一。我们发现，大多数农民报告了对生产、销售、价格和收入的负面影响。超过80%的农场报告销售额有所下降，超过20%的农场报告了毁灭性的下降(几乎什么都没有卖出)。80%以上的农民反映降价，50%的农民报告降价一半以上。同样，据报道，90%的农场收入下降，60%的农场收入下降超过一半。在接受调查的家庭中，62%的家庭报告饮食中断。大多数农户报告说，获得营养密度最高的食物的能力降低了。约80%的家庭报告称有能力保护他们的主食消费，其中降幅最大的是水果和动物来源的食品，而不是乳制品，约有一半的家庭。据报道，近30%的家庭蔬菜消费量下降，但蔬菜也是一些家庭消费增加的唯一食物类别，约15%的家庭。我们的数据表明，女性农民在生计和饮食方面的脆弱性更高，对较小和较大农场的影响也不同，这意味着不同的农场可能需要不同类型的支持才能继续运作。农场报告了不同的应对策略来维持销售，尽管经常对报告的收入产生负面影响。当其他获取食物的途径失败时，消费自己的农产品的能力可能在某种程度上保护了饮食。新冠肺炎以及随后的政策回应对园艺家庭的生计和饮食的影响，有可能使印度在过去十年中取得的令人印象深刻的经济和营养成果付诸东流。在当前和未来的政府应对措施中，必须考虑食品系统，特别是那些提供营养密度最高的食品的系统。
Disruption to food systems and impacts on livelihoods and diets have been brought into sharp focus by the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to investigate effects of this multi-layered shock on production, sales, prices, incomes and diets for vegetable farmers in India as both producers and consumers of nutrient-dense foods. We undertook a rapid telephone survey with 448 farmers in 4 states, in one of the first studies to document the early impacts of the pandemic and policy responses on farming households. We find that a majority of farmers report negative impacts on production, sales, prices and incomes. Over 80% of farms reported some decline in sales, and over 20% of farms reported devastating declines (sold almost nothing). Price reductions were reported by over 80% of farmers, and reductions by more than half for 50% of farmers. Similarly, farm income reportedly dropped for 90% of farms, and by more than half for 60%. Of surveyed households, 62% reported disruptions to their diets. A majority of farm households reported reduced ability to access the most nutrient-dense foods. Around 80% of households reported ability to protect their staple food consumption, and the largest falls in consumption were in fruit and animal source foods other than dairy, in around half of households. Reported vegetable consumption fell in almost 30% of households, but vegetables were also the only food group where consumption increased for some, in around 15% of households. Our data suggest higher vulnerability of female farmers in terms of both livelihoods and diet, and differential effects on smaller and larger farms, meaning different farms may require different types of support in order to continue to function. Farms reported diverse coping strategies to maintain sales, though often with negative implications for reported incomes. The ability to consume one's own produce may be somewhat protective of diets when other routes to food access fail. The impacts of COVID-19 and subsequent policy responses on both livelihoods and diets in horticultural households risk rolling back the impressive economic and nutrition gains India has seen over the past decade. Food systems, and particularly those making available the most nutrient-dense foods, must be considered in ongoing and future government responses.