COVID-19 pandemic impact on food security and food system of India:Lessons for future

Abstract The world at present is facing an unprecedented threat from the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID pandemic is not only a health crisis, its management options have unprecedented socio-economic crisis. COVID pandemic lockdown variably impacted the food security and food system (both production and non-production attributes) at various spatial and temporal scales. Agriculture comes under food system production attributes which not only substantially contribute to countries’ economy, but also play a key role in national food security sustainability. The pandemic has impacted Indian Agriculture multi-dimensionally, but it cannot be looked out separately from the food system. Both on-farm and off-farm activities were affected such as manual/ machine-based crop harvesting, perishable and non-perishable crops loss, transport and markets, seed availability for the next crop, etc., each with its own socio-economic implications. There was a shortage of labourers to harvest the rabi crop and inputs (seed, machinery, fertilizer etc required for crop sowing) due to disrupted transportation. Disturbances in the transportation of harvests from the farms to markets resulted in short supply. Food supply-chain disruption resulted in economic implications including selling price reduction of farm products for the farmers but the purchase price was increased at consumer level due to short supply. This resulted in loss of income for farmers and they were having problem of repaying their crop loans, gold loans, and other informal debts as most of the crop loans are repaid between April and May and a fresh loan is granted at the onset of a new season. These elements have prompted an emergency in the scope of yields as well. However, the impact of pandemic was variable among food systems. Less affected food systems attributes have more local community linkages as compared to more affected food systems. Food systems resilience plays a key role not only in its stability but also in ensuring food security. On the basis of lessons learned in COVID pandemic, resilient food system based policy interventions needs to be implemented by state and central Governments.