I had been meaning to post about this earlier but did not get a chance to do so until today given the decreased productivity those of us with younger children are currently experiencing.
At the request of IFPRI’s new director general Jo Swinnen, Tom Reardon, David Zilberman, and I wrote for a post for the IFPRI blog on the prospective effects of COVID-19 on food supply chains in developing countries. Here are the opening paragraphs:
COVID-19 is spreading through the developing world. Many low- and middle-income countries are now reporting growing numbers of cases and imposing rigorous lockdown regulations in response, which impact all aspects of the economy. How will COVID-19 affect food-supply chains (FSCs) in developing countries?
The evidence suggests that the impacts will be felt widely, but unevenly. Farm operations may be spared the worst, while small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in urban areas will face significant problems. Governments will have to develop policies to respond to these varied impacts to avoid supply chain disruptions, higher food prices, and severe economic fallout for millions of employees.
You can find the rest of the post (with translations in French and in Spanish) here.