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“Essential non‐essentials”: COVID‐19 policy missteps in N igeria rooted in persistent myths about A frican food supply chains
Author(s) -
LiverpoolTasie Lenis Saweda O.,
Reardon Thomas,
Belton Ben
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
applied economic perspectives and policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.4
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 2040-5804
pISSN - 2040-5790
DOI - 10.1002/aepp.13139
Subject(s) - food security , mythology , covid-19 , supply chain , shock (circulatory) , action (physics) , livelihood , welfare , business , economics , psychological intervention , food supply , public economics , marketing , market economy , agriculture , psychology , agricultural economics , geography , philosophy , theology , pathology , quantum mechanics , medicine , physics , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , psychiatry , archaeology
Food supply chains are extremely important for food access and livelihoods across Africa, but their role is often overlooked and underappreciated. Under normal conditions, the gap between myth and reality can result in the design of policies and programs with limited or negative impacts on food security and welfare. The shock of COVID‐19 has heightened this disconnect, with potentially dire consequences for food security. This paper demonstrates the importance of recognizing and accounting for the essential role of food supply chains when designing policy and interventions, particularly in response to COVID‐19, and provides recommendations for action based on current realities.