Impacts of COVID-19 on food security: Panel data evidence from Nigeria

Impacts of COVID-19 on food security: Panel data evidence from Nigeria
Author: Amare, Mulubrhan
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 43
Release: 2020-08-11
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

This paper combines pre-pandemic face-to-face survey data with follow up phone surveys collected in April-May 2020 to quantify the overall and differential impacts of COVID-19 on household food security, labor market participation and local food prices in Nigeria. We exploit spatial variation in exposure to COVID-19 related infections and lockdown measures along with temporal differences in our outcomes of interest using a difference-in-difference approach. We find that those households exposed to higher COVID-19 cases or mobility lockdowns experience a significant increase in measures of food insecurity. Examining possible transmission channels for this effect, we find that COVID-19 significantly reduces labor market participation and increases food prices. We find that impacts differ by economic activities and households. For instance, lockdown measures increased households' experience of food insecurity by 12 percentage points and reduced the probability of participation in non-farm business activities by 13 percentage points. These lockdown measures have smaller impacts on wage-related activities and farming activities. In terms of food security, households relying on non-farm businesses, poorer households, those with school-aged children, and those living in remote and conflicted-affected zones have experienced relatively larger deteriorations in food insecurity. These findings can help inform immediate and medium-term policy responses, including social protection policies aiming at ameliorating the impacts of the pandemic, as well as guide targeting strategies of governments and international donor agencies by identifying the most impacted sub-populations.

The short-run economic costs of COVID-19 in developing countries in 2020: A synthesis of results from a multi-country modeling exercise

The short-run economic costs of COVID-19 in developing countries in 2020: A synthesis of results from a multi-country modeling exercise
Author: Pauw, Karl
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 29
Release: 2021-06-04
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

As COVID-19 spread across the globe in early 2020, governments had to make difficult policy choices to balance the socioeconomic costs of social distancing and lockdown measures, on the one hand, and the human costs of increased morbidity and mortality of an unchecked pandemic, on the other. The challenge was particularly daunting for developing countries with their often illequipped and underfunded health systems coupled with general skepticism about the effectiveness of economic restrictions to curb viral spread, especially in densely populated informal urban communities (The Economist 2020). Poorer developing country populations also tend to be less resilient to income shocks, while the social protection measures needed to mitigate against income losses are costly. With developing country governments already heavily indebted before the pandemic (Onyekwena and Ekeruche 2019), and with further anticipated losses in tax revenues due to COVID-related economic restrictions, their ability to finance palliative measures without sacrificing much-needed, longer-term public investments has remained a major concern.

2021 Global food policy report: Transforming food systems after COVID-19

2021 Global food policy report: Transforming food systems after COVID-19
Author: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 124
Release: 2021-04-13
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0896293998

The coronavirus pandemic has upended local, national, and global food systems, and put the Sustainable Development Goals further out of reach. But lessons from the world’s response to the pandemic can help address future shocks and contribute to food system change. In the 2021 Global Food Policy Report, IFPRI researchers and other food policy experts explore the impacts of the pandemic and government policy responses, particularly for the poor and disadvantaged, and consider what this means for transforming our food systems to be healthy, resilient, efficient, sustainable, and inclusive. Chapters in the report look at balancing health and economic policies, promoting healthy diets and nutrition, strengthening social protection policies and inclusion, integrating natural resource protection into food sector policies, and enhancing the contribution of the private sector. Regional sections look at the diverse experiences around the world, and a special section on finance looks at innovative ways of funding food system transformation. Critical questions addressed include: - Who felt the greatest impact from falling incomes and food system disruptions caused by the pandemic? - How can countries find an effective balance among health, economic, and social policies in the face of crisis? - How did lockdowns affect diet quality and quantity in rural and urban areas? - Do national social protection systems such as cash transfers have the capacity to protect poor and vulnerable groups in a global crisis? - Can better integration of agricultural and ecosystem polices help prevent the next pandemic? - How did companies accelerate ongoing trends in digitalization and integration to keep food supply chains moving? - What different challenges did the pandemic spark in Asia, Africa, and Latin America and how did these regions respond?

The Unprecedented Impacts of COVID-19 and Global Responses

The Unprecedented Impacts of COVID-19 and Global Responses
Author: Farhang Morady
Publisher: IJOPEC PUBLICATION
Total Pages: 322
Release:
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1913809218

The Democratic Education Network (DEN) is a collaborative group involving academicstaff and students that aims to organize and support the educational experience ofstudents at the University of Westminster. DEN has inspired students to engage locallyand globally.Since the outbreak of COVID-19, DEN has played a significant role engaging studentsonline, and aiming to facilitate their learning process. This book is a compilationof papers written by both students at the University of Westminster and its partnerinternational universities. The book brings together different topics and conceptsrelated to the governance and management of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Itanalyses the political, economic, and social impact of COVID-19 on the agendas set bygovernments all around the world. This edition of the book is a manifestation of DEN’scollective teamwork.“I am so pleased to see the hard work of staff and students in the DemocraticEducation Network (DEN) come to fruition in this excellent publication. I recognisethe value of these collaborations in our turbulent times, and it is lovely to see studentsand academic staff from all over the world come together to develop meaningful,apposite, and challenging scholarship. Working in partnership with students is such astrength of the culture at the University of Westminster, and it is great to see this workdemonstrated so effectively in this text

COVID-19: Rapid food security and agrifood sector country assessment for Jordan

COVID-19: Rapid food security and agrifood sector country assessment for Jordan
Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.
Total Pages: 78
Release: 2021-10-12
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 9251344760

Governments worldwide are implementing an extensive range of prevention and mitigation measures to control the spread of COVID-19 and limit its health, economic and social consequences. COVID-19 policy actions could have significant negative impacts across the food system, mainly if the policies are uncoordinated and built on limited evidence. In Jordan, the COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to cause direct harm to health, livelihoods, to people living standard and overall national economies. This articulates the importance of formulating long, medium and short-term policies to deal with pandemic priorities and alleviate COVID-19 and increase development investments in the agriculture sector as one of the most critical sectors in such these conditions. This study determines the short-term impact of COVID-19 on agriculture and food supply and identifies the positive impact of government measures taken across the country of Jordan. This rapid assessment utilized primary data and existing data related to the agriculture-food systems sector to understand the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and produced recommendations and policy actions. The assessment's general objective is to identify the effects of COVID-19 on Agri-food systems actors and recommend policies to alleviate the negative impact. It explores the range of policies, strategies and actions, in the short- and medium/long-term in the broader agriculture/food systems sector. Recommendations and suggested policies (10 policies) are formed depending on the results of the field surveys (farmers, exporters and supply chain actors survey), the results of secondary data analysis, IMF targeted policies (9 pillars), Jordan COVID-19 and Food Security Rapid Assessment-Policy

Artificial Intelligence-Augmented Digital Twins

Artificial Intelligence-Augmented Digital Twins
Author: Abdalmuttaleb M. A. Musleh Al-Sartawi
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 673
Release: 2024-01-19
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3031434900

Presently, we stand on the threshold of a technological revolution that will drastically change the way we live, work, and communicate with each other. By the current rate, scope, and complexity, this transformation will be as fundamental for society as any other technological paradigm change from the past. The industries which are more susceptible to change are technologically oriented industries including banking, finance, accounting, and auditing. One of the technological concepts of the technological revolution is the concept of the digital twin. The application of digital twins and AI as paired with Internet of Things technologies makes it possible to solve ESG problems on a completely different level (Li, 2019) for accounting firms and financial institutions. These include recycling on demand, rational energy consumption, smart surveillance cameras for crime tracking, and smart branch parking solutions, monitoring the wear and tear and conditions of financial technology infrastructures. Moreover, numerous researchers and practitioners emphasize the significance of innovating sustainable business models and operations (Geissdoerfer et al., 2018). The digital twin will allow businesses and financial institutions to minimize costs, boost customer service, and find new ways to generate revenue. DTW is accessible now more than ever, and many reputable and innovative companies such as Tesla, Ericsson, and Siemens have adopted it with varying success. Therefore, this book examines the opportunities, challenges, and risks of artificial intelligence-augmented digital twins for financial operations, innovation, and sustainable development. It focuses on AI and digital twin technologies to furnish solutions for the current industrial revolution including the Metaverse. Henceforth, this book aims to encourage authors to submit multi-disciplinary chapters indicating the current scholarly challenges about the applications and potential of artificial intelligence and digital twins in accounting, finance, and banking.

The impact of COVID-19 on Tunisia’s economy, agri-food system, and households

The impact of COVID-19 on Tunisia’s economy, agri-food system, and households
Author: ElKadhi, Zouhair
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 13
Release: 2020-05-21
Genre: Political Science
ISBN:

The COVID-19 crisis is expected to lead to a 46.4 percent decline in Tunisia’s GDP during the 2nd quarter of 2020 (April to June). The industrial sector will be hit hardest, with output falling by 52.7 percent, followed closely by services (-49.0 percent) and agriculture (-16.2 percent). These high losses are a result of the complete lockdown imposed in the country to contain the pandemic. Higher-income urban households will see the largest income losses, although lower-income urban households also will experience significant reductions in their income. As a policy response, social transfers towards poorer households will reduce the adverse welfare impact of these drops in household income. Government policies to support struggling businesses will allow economic activities to revive more rapidly when the lockdown loosens. Consequently, comprehensive planning by the Government of Tunisia to re-open the economy will be critical to reduce the pandemic’s adverse impact on the country’s economy in the longer-term, reducing losses of employment and income, especially in manufacturing and retail.

Women Entrepreneurs In The Middle East: Context, Ecosystems, And Future Perspectives For The Region

Women Entrepreneurs In The Middle East: Context, Ecosystems, And Future Perspectives For The Region
Author: Dina Modestus Nziku
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 361
Release: 2024-04-29
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9811283508

Straddling North Africa and Western Asia, the Middle East has been a cradle of civilisation and entrepreneurship — well before the arrival of Islam. In this region, gender roles were traditionally specified by culture, with women often expected to stay within the family environment, while men would trade in society at large. This book contributes to the literature on a highly neglected field of study: women entrepreneurs in the Middle East. Recognising that entrepreneurship does not take place in a vacuum, it focuses on contexts, and the ecosystems of this region with largely patriarchal societies, that are influenced by culture, religion, and colonial experience.This book provides readers with a topical analysis of women entrepreneurs in the Middle East on the context, ecosystems, and future perspectives for the region. Authors have presented the reality of 11 countries from the region based on women entrepreneurs' historical backgrounds, challenges, and achievements, as well as the contribution towards economic development in their local/immediate communities and the Middle East at large. Following the country analysis by the authors of each chapter, the editors provide a general assessment of the future of women entrepreneurs in the region by focusing on the current entrepreneurship policy and strategies of various countries in the region. This volume will be an essential reading for anyone researching or working on projects related to women's entrepreneurship and small businesses in the Middle East.

Resilience Thinking

Resilience Thinking
Author: Brian Walker
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2012-06-22
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1597266221

Increasingly, cracks are appearing in the capacity of communities, ecosystems, and landscapes to provide the goods and services that sustain our planet's well-being. The response from most quarters has been for "more of the same" that created the situation in the first place: more control, more intensification, and greater efficiency. "Resilience thinking" offers a different way of understanding the world and a new approach to managing resources. It embraces human and natural systems as complex entities continually adapting through cycles of change, and seeks to understand the qualities of a system that must be maintained or enhanced in order to achieve sustainability. It explains why greater efficiency by itself cannot solve resource problems and offers a constructive alternative that opens up options rather than closing them down. In Resilience Thinking, scientist Brian Walker and science writer David Salt present an accessible introduction to the emerging paradigm of resilience. The book arose out of appeals from colleagues in science and industry for a plainly written account of what resilience is all about and how a resilience approach differs from current practices. Rather than complicated theory, the book offers a conceptual overview along with five case studies of resilience thinking in the real world. It is an engaging and important work for anyone interested in managing risk in a complex world.

Global Trends 2040

Global Trends 2040
Author: National Intelligence Council
Publisher: Cosimo Reports
Total Pages: 158
Release: 2021-03
Genre:
ISBN: 9781646794973

"The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic marks the most significant, singular global disruption since World War II, with health, economic, political, and security implications that will ripple for years to come." -Global Trends 2040 (2021) Global Trends 2040-A More Contested World (2021), released by the US National Intelligence Council, is the latest report in its series of reports starting in 1997 about megatrends and the world's future. This report, strongly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, paints a bleak picture of the future and describes a contested, fragmented and turbulent world. It specifically discusses the four main trends that will shape tomorrow's world: - Demographics-by 2040, 1.4 billion people will be added mostly in Africa and South Asia. - Economics-increased government debt and concentrated economic power will escalate problems for the poor and middleclass. - Climate-a hotter world will increase water, food, and health insecurity. - Technology-the emergence of new technologies could both solve and cause problems for human life. Students of trends, policymakers, entrepreneurs, academics, journalists and anyone eager for a glimpse into the next decades, will find this report, with colored graphs, essential reading.