Tropentag 2020, September 9 - 11, virtual conference, Germany "Food and nutrition security and its resilience to global crises"

Willingness to Accept Lock-Down in COVID-19 Pandemic and Effect on Livelihood in Southwest Nigeria

Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research, Dept. of Agriculture and Food Policy, Nigeria

Abstract

Would an individual be willing to die of hunger or from a disease outbreak in Nigeria? This research question came at the premise of the global health crisis induced by COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on the livelihood of individuals. Livelihoods become vulnerable when unable to cope with shocks and the outbreak of COVID-19 has been a source of such a shock to the global community and especially to developing economies like Nigeria. The main response to the spread has been the lockdown of economies for certain periods. However, the lockdown may impact on the livelihood of citizens and thus reduce its effectiveness. As a result of the restriction in mobility amid COVID-19, this study used an online survey to generate information on individual’s Willingness to Accept (WTA) an economic lockdown as a means of preventing the spread of the virus in Nigeria from 75 lower to middle class individuals in Southwest, Nigeria. Respondents with vulnerable livelihoods had lower food and nonfood expenditure patterns. Survey analysis showed that up to 61% of the respondents were willing to accept a short period of lockdown, at an estimated WTA of not more than 4 days and income loss of N 8,538.20 (22 USD) per day. Also, the findings showed that individuals who were likely to lose income, with large households, and large food expenditure patterns were less willing to accept a lockdown. Respondents were more willing to use a combination of sanitary and social distancing measures rather than a complete lockdown. Although this online survey was relevant for respondents in the lower to middle class group, it was able to show the vulnerability of livelihood to protracted lockdown response to a disease outbreak. This is a retrospective survey and the theme of this study may be more evident if an extended survey involving actors in the informal sector was carried out. An extended study will enable an estimation of the value of economic life across different sectors of the Nigerian economy. This will be useful in developing responses to shocks such as this pandemic. The study therefore recommends that socio-economic and livelihood contexts must be taken into consideration when enforcing disease prevention measures, while social protection must be enhanced to reduce the effect of such measures on livelihood.

Keywords: COVID-19, livelihood, lock-down, willingness to accept

Contact Address: Temitayo Adenike Adeyemo, Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research, Dept. of Agriculture and Food Policy, P.M.B 5, U.I Post Office, Ojo, Oyo Road, Ibadan, Nigeria, e-mail: adeyemotemitayogmail.com