Miller Magazine Issue 137 May 2021

28 MILLER / may 2021 NEWS The severe health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have disrupted food systems and up- ended livelihoods. Yet pandemic responses have demonstrated the power of well-crafted policies to blunt the impact of major shocks while laying the groundwork for stronger, more resilient food systems, according to the 2021 Global Food Policy Report, released by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). The report provides lessons drawn from the current crisis that can help us transform food systems to reduce the impact of the ongoing pandemic, better prepare for future shocks, and address longstanding weaknesses and inequalities. “We have known for a while now that there are major problems with our food systems, that they are unequal and unsustainable,” said Johan Swinnen, director general of IFPRI. “This crisis has re- vealed these problems in a way that none of us can ignore, but it has also demonstrated that we have effective ways to address these problems." The report draws on evidence from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) across the globe to analyze both the impacts of and the policy responses to the crisis, with a particular focus on vulnerable groups, who have suffered disproportionately. The re- port details how livelihoods, food security, and nutrition have been affected; how and why impacts have varied across regions and countries; and what our food systems and food supply chains need to look like to better absorb such shocks in the coming years. Unsurprisingly, the report finds that COVID-19 and restrictions on social interactions and business operations have disproportionate- ly affected marginalized people in LMICs, driving up poverty — by as much as 20%, according to IFPRI estimates — and malnutrition. Supply chain disruptions have also taken a toll on dietary quality and diversity, leading to increased nutritional deficiencies, particu- larly among vulnerable groups. IFPRI projections suggest that the declines in food security and proper nutrition from the pandemic could cause an additional 6.7 million children to experience wast- ing in 2020 alone. The report also highlights key lessons from the pandemic about food systems. In general, demand-side effects, due to job losses and falling incomes, had a stronger impact on food security than supply disruptions. Food value chains, despite many disruptions, proved to be fairly resilient, albeit with variations across commod- ities and regions; and policies declaring agrifood workers and services as essential helped to cushion disruptions. Research find- ings show that food systems transitioning from traditional to mod- ern, characterized by longer but often fragmented supply chains, proved to be most vulnerable. “In many low- and middle-income countries, the impacts of COVID-19 have been lower than expected during most of 2020, and evolving policy responses have, in many cases, helped to mit- igate damages,” said John McDermott, director of the CGIAR Re- search Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health. Learning from what has and hasn’t worked can play a major role in curtailing the impacts of the ongoing pandemic and meeting the 2030 Sus- tainable Development Agenda. Major shocks like COVID-19 that disrupt food, health, and economic systems are likely to increase due to climate change and global interconnectivity, making trans- forming these systems imperative. The report suggests three ave- nues for increased resilience: limiting the frequency andmagnitude of shocks; investing in early warning systems to anticipate shocks; and building capacity to adapt to and absorb shocks when they happen. The report notes the important role of private sector innovation in times of crisis, which requires an enabling policy environment, as well as physical and digital infrastructure. Better digital infrastruc- ture is imperative not only for a business environment that fosters innovation, but also to bridge the “digital divide” that leaves the world’s most vulnerable underserved and more exposed to the impacts of crises. COVID-19 has presented the opportunity for making these and other changes that will transform the world’s food systems. Doing so, the report’s contributors stress, will require multifaceted, evi- dence-based approaches as well as cooperation and collaboration within and across sectors and borders. IFPRI report finds lessons from COVID crisis for enhancing resilience of food systems