10 recommendations for African governments to ensure food security for poor and vulnerable populations during COVID-19

Laté Lawson-Lartego; Marc J Cohen

doi:10.1007/s12571-020-01062-7

10 recommendations for African governments to ensure food security for poor and vulnerable populations during COVID-19

Food Secur. 2020;12(4):899-902. doi: 10.1007/s12571-020-01062-7. Epub 2020 Jul 12.

Authors

Laté Lawson-Lartego¹, Marc J Cohen¹

Affiliation

¹ Oxfam America, Inclusive and Resilient Food Systems Theme, Washington, DC USA.

Abstract

In addressing COVID-19, African governments should not forget the livelihoods as well as the food and nutrition security of their citizens. With over 70% of the workforce in the informal sector without any social protection and health insurance, the pandemic could have a devastating impact on income and livelihoods as well as food and nutrition security for workers up and down the food chain. There are ten steps African governments can take to ensure that their response to the disease takes food and nutrition security into account: 1. Protect food supply chains and consider them essential services; 2. Consider fiscal and monetary incentives; 3. Prioritize healthy diets; 4. Use food reserves wisely; 5. Keep food markets open while ensuring safety; 6. Use mobile cash transfers for social protection; 7. Protect farmers and food workers; 8. Prioritize gender equality; 9. Instill a sense of solidarity; and 10. Avoid export bans.

Keywords: Coronavirus; Food security; Nutrition; Sub-Saharan Africa.