The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security in rural and urban settlements in Benin : do allotment gardens soften the blow?
Houessou, M.D.
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security in rural and urban settlements in Benin : do allotment gardens soften the blow? - Basel (Switzerland) : MDPI, 2021.
Peer review Open Access
A Rapid Food Security Appraisal among 240 rural and urban dwellers in southern Benin was conducted, using univariate and bivariate analyses, to evaluate the effects of the imposed COVID-19 ‘cordon sanitaire’ on food consumption patterns. As this is one of the first empirical studies on the COVID-19 food security nexus, we found that the raging pandemic has affected the food security pillars (availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability) in both rural and urban areas, within and outside the cordon sanitaire. The steepest decline was observed among respondents who live inside the cordon sanitaire, where rural producers and urban inhabitants without access to allotment gardens were hit hard. Increased food prices, disruptions in food logistics, and inability to work due to movement restrictions were most frequently indicated as reasons for the decline. Access to allotment gardens effectively supported households in mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food crisis.
Text in English
2071-1050
https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137313
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
COVID-19
Cordon sanitaire
Diet
Urban agriculture
Food supply
Food systems
Poverty
Food policies
Economic recovery
Benin
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security in rural and urban settlements in Benin : do allotment gardens soften the blow? - Basel (Switzerland) : MDPI, 2021.
Peer review Open Access
A Rapid Food Security Appraisal among 240 rural and urban dwellers in southern Benin was conducted, using univariate and bivariate analyses, to evaluate the effects of the imposed COVID-19 ‘cordon sanitaire’ on food consumption patterns. As this is one of the first empirical studies on the COVID-19 food security nexus, we found that the raging pandemic has affected the food security pillars (availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability) in both rural and urban areas, within and outside the cordon sanitaire. The steepest decline was observed among respondents who live inside the cordon sanitaire, where rural producers and urban inhabitants without access to allotment gardens were hit hard. Increased food prices, disruptions in food logistics, and inability to work due to movement restrictions were most frequently indicated as reasons for the decline. Access to allotment gardens effectively supported households in mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food crisis.
Text in English
2071-1050
https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137313
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
COVID-19
Cordon sanitaire
Diet
Urban agriculture
Food supply
Food systems
Poverty
Food policies
Economic recovery
Benin