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

The Impacts of Coronavirus on Agricultural Practices and Food Systems in Brazil, Tanzania and Iran

¹Leibniz Centre for Agric. Landscape Res. (ZALF), Germany
²The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), Brazil
³Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania
⁴Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan, Iran
⁵Leibniz Inst. of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO), Germany
⁶German Institute of Global and Area Studies (GIGA), Germany
⁷Peace Research Institute Frankfurt, Germany

Abstract

Any discussion of nutrition and food security these days requires to also consider the impacts of the current pandemic. Countries are hit by a complex set of burdens by the pandemic. Not only the virus itself but national government policies as well as changes in international trade regulations and policies in consumer countries impact the lives of many people; and particularly those of small-scale farmers. This study investigates the socio-economic and environmental impacts of the current pandemic in Brazil, Tanzania, and Iran with a focus on agricultural practices and food systems. Whilst on a global scale government responses of most countries align, with regards to acknowledging the severity of the coronavirus and imposed measures, the government responses of the chosen countries of study are very different. Though instruments to combat COVID-19 and also the manner of transparency vary across these countries they provide an interesting platform for the study of effects of government responses to COVID-19 in societies. This project analyzes impacts of the novel coronavirus on food systems. The study also wants to explore coping mechanisms of local institutions, the trading and processing industries and small-scale farmers during the corona crises, in order to derive lessons for future pandemic crisis management. Data will be collected along the entire value chain on the levels of governments, private-sector firms, farmer cooperatives and small-scale farmers. A web-based survey will be coupled with in depth interviews to assess impacts and coping strategies.

Keywords: Agricultural practices, Brazil, COVID, food systems, impact assessment, Iran, Tanzania

Contact Address: Katharina Löhr, Leibniz Centre for Agric. Landscape Res. (ZALF), Sustainable Land Use in Developing Countries (SusLAND), Müncheberg, Germany, e-mail: katharina.loehrzalf.de