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Policy dialogue: Gendered impacts of COVID-19 and gender-responsive policymaking in agriculture and food systems during the COVID-19 pandemic











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    Corporate general interest
    Gendered impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security, agricultural production, income and family relations in rural areas of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
    Working Paper, 76
    2024
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    Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic and associated containment measures implemented to control the spread of the virus have exacerbated existing gender inequalities. This paper explores changes in agriculture, food security, nutrition, and family dynamics in the rural areas of Central Asia – specifically, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan – during the pandemic, focusing on women and men. Employing a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative and qualitative analyses, the findings reveal that rural women were disproportionally affected due to pre-existing gender disparities and limited decision-making power. Women experienced compounded challenges, including increased unpaid work, additional agricultural labour and household chores, difficulties associated with online schooling and healthcare management, limited access to agricultural resources, and a higher risk of domestic violence. The pandemic heightened women’s vulnerability to food insecurity, whereas Central Asian governments’ interventions failed to support all women effectively. The paper concludes with policy recommendations to guide future policymaking, aiming to mitigate shocks and stressors and develop gender-responsive actions that empower rural women and men. These recommendations focus on improving food security and overall well-being in the rural regions of Central Asia, recognizing and addressing the distinct challenges women faced during the pandemic.
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    General interest book
    Assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on agriculture, food security and nutrition in Africa 2021
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    Since the WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic in March 2020, it has gripped the world in two or more different waves in different regions. It has caused tremendous human suffering due to the disease itself and because it triggered the adoption of restrictive measures resulting in disrupted livelihoods for many. The pandemic and related control measures have most impact on the livelihoods of vulnerable populations. The sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region, in particular, was already reeling under the tremendous burden of poverty, unemployment, malnutrition, and hunger, and is thus highly vulnerable to the ongoing direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19. Hence, this publication aims to analyze the direct and/or indirect impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Africa's agrifood systems on various aspects as macroeconomic impact, agricultural production (crops, livestock, and fisheries sectors), markets and value chains, trade, and overall food security by providing a synthesis of studies and reports already published, and the relevant secondary data available. This publication also provides criteria-based priority lists of countries using the composite index methodology, considering the four selected dimensions – the incidence and severity of COVID-19 pandemic, economic vulnerability aggravating factors, food security vulnerability aggravating factors, and the lack of coping capacity. The priority lists generated covering all African countries help focus on those requiring urgent attention from national and international communities for mitigation, recovery, and development.
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    High-profile
    Gendered impacts of COVID-19 and equitable policy responses in agriculture, food security and nutrition 2020
    As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, many countries are adopting measures to control the spread of the virus. While the health aspects of the pandemic have not affected rural areas as much as urban centres, containment measures pose new challenges to rural women with regards to their roles in household food security, as agricultural producers, farm managers, processors, traders, wage workers and entrepreneurs. Past experience shows that rural women are disproportionally affected by health and economic crises in a number of ways, including but not limited to food security and nutrition, time poverty, access to health facilities, services and economic opportunities, and gender-based violence (GBV). Further, COVID-19 is increasing women’s work burden due to school closures and the additional care needs of sick household members. This brief compiles evidence from current and previous epidemics to explore the socio-economic implications of the impact of the pandemic on food systems and rural economies, and how a gender-sensitive approach can help address key policy issues related to the functioning of food and agricultural systems and the special circumstances of rural women. It also provides concrete policy recommendations to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on rural women and girls.

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