Middendorf B Jan, Traoré Hamidou, Middendorf Gerad, Jha Prakash K, Yonli Djibril, Palé Siébou, Prasad P V Vara
Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sustainable Intensification Kansas State University Manhattan Kansas USA.
Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA) Ouagadougou Burkina Faso.
Food Energy Secur. 2022 Feb;11(1):e337. doi: 10.1002/fes3.337. Epub 2021 Oct 31.
At the onset of COVID-19, researchers quickly recognized the need for research on the consequences of the pandemic for agricultural and food systems, both in terms of immediate impacts on access to inputs and labor, disruptions in transportation and markets, and the longer-term implications on crop productivity, income, and livelihoods. Vegetable production and supply chains are particularly vulnerable due to the perishable nature of the products and labor-intensive production practices. The purpose of this study was to understand the impacts of COVID-19 on vegetable production in Burkina Faso in terms of both the biophysical aspects such as yields and access to inputs and socioeconomic aspects such as access to labor, markets, and social services. A survey was developed to better understand smallholder farmer experiences regarding the impacts of COVID-19 on their vegetable production systems and social well-being. The survey was administered (between August and October 2020) with smallholder farmers ( = 605) in 13 administrative regions covering all agroecological zones of Burkina Faso. The survey results clearly show impacts of COVID-19 on vegetable systems, including a reduction in access to inputs, a reduction in yields, a loss of income, reduced access to local and urban markets, reduced access to transportation, and an increase in post-harvest loss. Market access, distribution, and disruptions were a major shock to the system. Results also showed an increase in women's labor in the household, and for youth, an increase in unemployment, job loss, and concerns of poverty. Finally, food security and social supports were highlighted as major issues for resilience and livelihoods. The results from this survey should be helpful to policymakers and researchers to develop policies and strategies to minimize the negative impacts of this ongoing pandemic on the agri-food systems and support smallholder farmers to overcome stress caused by COVID-19.
在新冠疫情初期，研究人员很快意识到有必要对这一疫情给农业和粮食系统带来的影响展开研究，这些影响涉及对投入品和劳动力获取的直接冲击、运输和市场的中断，以及对作物生产力、收入和生计的长期影响。由于蔬菜产品易腐的特性以及劳动密集型的生产方式，蔬菜生产和供应链尤其脆弱。本研究的目的是从生物物理方面（如产量和投入品获取情况）以及社会经济方面（如劳动力、市场和社会服务的获取情况）了解新冠疫情对布基纳法索蔬菜生产的影响。为此开展了一项调查，以更好地了解小农户在新冠疫情对其蔬菜生产系统和社会福祉的影响方面的经历。该调查于2020年8月至10月期间，对布基纳法索13个行政区、涵盖所有农业生态区的605名小农户进行了调查。调查结果清楚地显示了新冠疫情对蔬菜系统的影响，包括投入品获取减少、产量下降、收入损失、进入当地和城市市场的机会减少、运输渠道受阻以及收获后损失增加。市场准入、分销和中断对该系统造成了重大冲击。结果还显示，家庭中女性劳动力增加，而青年的失业率上升、失业情况加剧且对贫困问题更为担忧。最后，粮食安全和社会支持被凸显为恢复力和生计的主要问题。这项调查的结果应有助于政策制定者和研究人员制定政策和战略，以尽量减少这一持续疫情对农业食品系统的负面影响，并支持小农户克服新冠疫情造成的压力。
