Food system resilience and COVID-19 – Lessons from the Asian experience

Food authenticity and the interactions with human health and climate change

Food authenticity and fraud, as well as the interest in food traceability have become a topic of increasing interest not only for consumers but also for the research community and the food manufacturing industry. Food authenticity and fraud are becoming prevalent in both the food supply and value chains since ancient times where different issues (e.g., food spoilage during shipment and storage, mixing decay foods with fresh products) has resulted in foods that influence consumers health. The effect of climate change on the quality of food ingredients and products could also have the potential to influence food authenticity. However, this issue has not been considered. This article focused on the interactions between consumer health and the potential effects of climate change on food authenticity and fraud. The role of technology and development of risk management tools to mitigate these issues are also discussed. Where applicable papers that underline the links between the interactions of climate change, human health and food fraud were referenced.

Unveiling Digital Transformation: A Catalyst for Enhancing Food Security and Achieving Sustainable Development Goals at the European Union Level

The digital revolution is reshaping various aspects of society, including having a profound impact on food security and the advancement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study investigates the relationship between digital transformation, quantified through the components of the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), and SDGs related to food (SDG1, SDG2, SDG3, and SDG10), along with the overall SDG Index score. The data used for investigation are sourced from reports issued by the European Commission concerning DESI, as well as the SDG reports for the period from 2017 to 2022. The paper elucidates how different components of digitalization, such as connectivity, digital skills, internet usage, and digital public services, influence the attainment of food security objectives and broader sustainable development targets using structural equation modeling and cluster analysis. The findings underscore the pivotal role of digital technologies in enhancing poverty alleviation, health and well-being, and, in particular, mitigating inequality. This study contributes to understanding the complex relationship between digital transformation and food security, offering insights for policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders aiming to leverage technology for advancing SDGs and fostering a more equitable and sustainable future.

Family farming in climate change: Strategies for resilient and sustainable food systems

Family farming plays a pivotal role in ensuring household food security and bolstering the resilience of food systems against climate change. Traditional agricultural practices are evolving into context-specific, climate-resilient systems such as family farming, homestead gardening, and urban agriculture. This study examines the ways in which family farming can foster climate-resilient food systems amidst climate vulnerabilities. A systematic literature review spanning the past 22 years was undertaken to develop a conceptual framework. From this review, 37 pertinent documents were identified, leading to the creation of a context-specific, climate-resilient food system framework. The research posits that family farming facilitates easy access to food and nutrition by capitalizing on family-sourced land, labor, and capital, and by securing access to technology and markets. Each facet of family farming is intricately linked with sustainability principles. Local adaptation strategies employed by climate-vulnerable households can diminish their vulnerability and augment their adaptive, absorptive, and transformative capacities, enabling them to establish a climate-resilient food system. The research further reveals that farming families employ a myriad of strategies to fortify their food systems. These include crop diversification, adjusting planting times, cultivating high-value crops and fish, planting fruit trees, rearing poultry and livestock, and leveraging their land, labor, and resources-including their homesteads-to access food and nutrition. This study endorses the climate-resilient family farming framework and offers multiple metrics for assessing the resilience of family farming in developing countries.

Python farming as a flexible and efficient form of agricultural food security

Diminishing natural resources and increasing climatic volatility are impacting agri-food systems, prompting the need for sustainable and resilient alternatives. Python farming is well established in Asia but has received little attention from mainstream agricultural scientists. We measured growth rates in two species of large pythons (Malayopython reticulatus and Python bivittatus) in farms in Thailand and Vietnam and conducted feeding experiments to examine production efficiencies. Pythons grew rapidly over a 12-month period, and females grew faster than males. Food intake and growth rates early in life were strong predictors of total lifetime growth, with daily mass increments ranging from 0.24 to 19.7 g/day for M. reticulatus and 0.24 to 42.6 g/day for P. bivittatus, depending on food intake. Pythons that fasted for up to 4.2 months lost an average of 0.004% of their body mass per day, and resumed rapid growth as soon as feeding recommenced. Mean food conversion rate for dressed carcasses was 4.1%, with useable products (dressed carcass, skin, fat, gall bladder) comprising 82% of the mass of live animals. In terms of food and protein conversion ratios, pythons outperform all mainstream agricultural species studied to date. The ability of fasting pythons to regulate metabolic processes and maintain body condition enhances food security in volatile environments, suggesting that python farming may offer a flexible and efficient response to global food insecurity.

Drivers of food security in West Africa: Insight from heterogeneous panel data analysis on income-level classification

This paper investigates the factors driving food security in West African countries. Specifically, it examines the impact of natural resource rents, institutional quality, and climate change on food security while controlling for industrialization and economic growth. Our research is motivated by the urgent need for swift policy action to address the escalating food crisis in the region and prevent any potential catastrophic consequences. Second-generation econometric techniques are utilized for accurate and reliable outcomes based on yearly datasets from West African countries from 2000 to 2020, and the countries are sub-grouped into low-income and lower-middle-income. The findings unveil the panel as heterogeneous and cross-sectionally based, and all the study variables are first differenced stationary and co-integrated in the long run. Hence, the Augmented Mean Group and Common Correlated Effects Mean Group estimators are utilized to explore the relationships between the variables, and the findings reveal that natural resource rents, climate change, and industrialization are detrimental to food security across the sub-groups. However, the outcomes affirm institutional quality and economic growth as beneficial drivers of food security across the sub-groups. Therefore, this study recommends that authorities of both low-income and lower-middle-income countries make substantial investments in sustainable natural resource utilization and also work towards enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of their institutions, as well as investing in environmental research to explore climate change mitigation possibilities that could enhance food security in West Africa.

Effects of Policy Intervention on Food System Resilience to Emergency Risk Shock: Experience from China during COVID-19 Pandemic

Achieving the goal of zero hunger within the goal of sustainable development requires improving the resilience of food systems to various types of risk shocks; food systems have shown significant vulnerability to COVID-19 outbreaks and transmission. By analyzing the impact of China's lockdown policy and food security emergency policy in 2020 on food prices during the COVID-19 pandemic, we can clarify the role of policy intervention in enhancing the resilience of the food system, which can provide guidance, using China's experience, for dealing with global food safety emergencies in the future. Firstly, we selected Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong as food-consuming areas, and Shandong, Henan, and Hubei as food-producing areas. We also collected food security emergency policy data from the Chinese government website during the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondly, a difference-in-difference method was used to observe that Chinese cabbage and pork prices in the main food-producing areas and food-consuming areas rose more obviously after the adoption of lockdown policy, and Chinese cabbage and pork prices in the food-consuming areas increased more obviously than those in food-producing areas. However, staple food prices have not risen significantly. Thirdly, the response of four kinds of food prices to the food security emergency policy is analyzed quantitatively and graphically using the food price volatility index and food price increase rate; we observed that the response of food prices to the food security emergency policy is related to the food types and regions. For food types, the fluctuation degree and increase in Chinese cabbage and pork prices decreased significantly after the adoption of the food security emergency policy. For regions, when the food security emergency policy was adopted, the food prices in the main food-consuming areas fluctuated more obviously than those in food-producing areas. Finally, we found that the implementation of the transport policy and the joint supply emergency policy in the main producing and consuming areas has played a very significant and positive role in stabilizing food prices.

COVID-19, Climate Change, and Conflict in Honduras: A food system disruption analysis

In Honduras, as in many settings between 2020 and 2022, food security was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and conflicts-what some refer to as "The Three Cs." These challenges have had overlapping impacts on food supply chains, food assistance programs, food prices, household purchasing power, physical access to food, and food acceptability. This article applies a food system disruption analysis-adapted from a fault tree analysis originally developed for a municipal context in the United States-to the context of Honduras to systematically examine how the Three Cs affected food availability, accessibility, and acceptability. This article demonstrates the value of approaching food security through a disruption analysis, especially for settings impacted by multiple, interconnected, ongoing crises.

Transition to a sustainable food supply chain during disruptions: A study on the Brazilian food companies in the Covid-19 era

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought negative impacts to global supply chains, in particular to the agricultural sector. Although these companies have been developing programs to mitigate the impacts caused by COVID-19, researchers have been worried about a possible weakening of the adoption of sustainable initiatives due to a focus on dealing with the consequences of the pandemic. Grounded on the Resource Orchestration Theory, the goal of this study was to assess the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on sustainable (environmental, social, and economic) performance in the context of agri-food supply chains. To do so, a questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 349 different medium and large agri-food companies in Brazil. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares technique. This study has found out that, under the impacts arising from COVID-19 pandemic (1) supply management and transportation and logistics management had a positive impact on food supply chains' sustainable performance; (2) the effects of relationship management and supply chain wide impact management were found to be negative on sustainable performance; and (3) the effects of demand and production management on sustainable performance were not considered significant. We propose a framework that clearly represents the relationship between the disrupted supply chain areas and sustainable performance through the development of orchestration capabilities. By knowing which kinds of impacts produce the most significant effects on sustainable performance, policy makers and managers will be able to make decisions and take actions to avoid negative effects and to improve firms' sustainable performance.

Covid-19 related factors to food security and dietary diversity among urban households in western Oromia, Ethiopia

Background

This study aims to assess factors associated with food security and dietary diversity among poor urban households of western Oromia, Ethiopia, after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Method

A cross-sectional, community-based study was conducted in May to June 2021 with 361 poor urban households in the Horo Guduru Wollega zone, western Oromia, Ethiopia. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data. Twenty-four hour reminder points were used to assess household dietary diversity, and household food security was assessed using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale tool. Data were evaluated using the statistical software SPSS version 25.0.

Results

This study showed a prevalence of food insecurity in households of 59.6%. The mean and standard deviation of household dietary diversity values were 4.19 ± 1.844. Family size (AOR = 8.5; 95% CI:3.295-21.92), monthly income (AOR = 3.52; 95% CI; 1.771-6.986), dietary diversity (AOR = 8.5; 95% CI; 3.92-18.59), knowledge (AOR = 3.0, 95% CI = 1.08-)8.347), attitude (AOR = 8.35, 95% CI:3.112-22.39) and practices against Covid-19 (AOR = 2.12; 95% CI:1.299-11.4) were factors significantly associated with food insecurity. Variables like educational status (AOR = 3.46; 95% CI:1.44-8.312), increased family size after the Covid-19 pandemic (AOR = 2.26; 95% CI:1.02-5.04), food security (AOR = 6.7; 95% CI:4.01-19.01), knowledge (AOR = 3.96; 95% CI:1.57-10.0), attitude (AOR = 3.9; 95% CI:1.75-8.82) and practices toward coronavirus (AOR = 2.23; 95% CI:2.18-23.95) were predictors significantly associated with dietary diversity.

Conclusion

This study concluded that family size, monthly income, and dietary diversity were factors contributed to household food security. On the other hand, variables such as educational status, family size, and food security were highly relevant factors for dietary diversity after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices were also variables related to both household food security and dietary diversity. Therefore, immediate interventions such as nutrition-specific interventions can be suggested to address food insecurity and problems of inadequate food intake in poor urban households. In addition, governmental and non-governmental organizations should raise awareness and policies to support those at higher risk by developing affordable, sustainable and targeted social protection systems that ensure food security and adequate dietary intake at the household level.

An Application of Machine Learning to Logistics Performance Prediction: An Economics Attribute-Based of Collective Instance

In this work, a machine learning application was constructed to predict the logistics performance index based on economic attributes. The prediction procedure employs both linear and non-linear machine learning algorithms. The macroeconomic panel dataset is used in this investigation. Furthermore, it was combined with the microeconomic panel dataset obtained through the data envelopment analysis method for evaluating financial efficiency. The procedure was implemented in six ASEAN member countries. The non-linear algorithm of an artificial neural network performed best on the complex pattern of a collective instance of these six countries, followed by the penalized linear of the Ridge regression method. Due to the limited amount of training data for each country, the artificial neural network prediction procedure is only applicable to the datasets of Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Ridge regression fits the Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam datasets. The results provide precise trend forecasting. Macroeconomic factors are driving up the logistics performance index in Vietnam in 2020. Malaysia logistics performance is influenced by the logistics business's financial efficiency. The results at the country level can be used to track, improve, and reform the country's short-term logistics and supply chain policies. This can bring significant gains in national logistics and supply chain capabilities, as well as support for global trade collaboration, all for the long-term development of the region.

Plastic wastes in the time of COVID-19: Their environmental hazards and implications for sustainable energy resilience and circular bio-economies

The global scope of pollution from plastic waste is a well-known phenomenon associated with trade, mass consumption, and disposal of plastic products (e.g., personal protective equipment (PPE), viral test kits, and vacuum-packaged food). Recently, the scale of the problem has been exacerbated by increases in indoor livelihood activities during lockdowns imposed in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The present study describes the effects of increased plastic waste on environmental footprint and human health. Further, the technological/regulatory options and life cycle assessment (LCA) approach for sustainable plastic waste management are critically dealt in terms of their implications on energy resilience and circular economy. The abrupt increase in health-care waste during pandemic has been worsening environmental quality to undermine the sustainability in general. In addition, weathered plastic particles from PPE along with microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) can all adsorb chemical and microbial contaminants to pose a risk to ecosystems, biota, occupational safety, and human health. PPE-derived plastic pollution during the pandemic also jeopardizes sustainable development goals, energy resilience, and climate control measures. However, it is revealed that the pandemic can be regarded as an opportunity for explicit LCA to better address the problems associated with environmental footprints of plastic waste and to focus on sustainable management technologies such as circular bio-economies, biorefineries, and thermal gasification. Future researches in the energy-efficient clean technologies and circular bio-economies (or biorefineries) in concert with a "nexus" framework are expected to help reduce plastic waste into desirable directions.

Transforming agrifood systems in a win-win for health and environment: evidence from organic rice-duck coculture

BACKGROUND

Rice-duck coculture is an ecological agricultural mode; however, the nutritional and environmental benefits of transforming from conventional rice monoculture to rice-duck coculture are unknown. Based on survey data and the life-cycle assessment approach, this study conducted a carbon footprint evaluation of conventional rice monoculture (CR), organic rice monoculture (OR), and organic rice-duck coculture (ORD) using different functional units.

RESULTS

The carbon footprint per hectare of ORD (7842 ± 284 kg CO₂ eq ha^-1 ) was slightly lower than that of CR (7905 ± 412 kg CO₂ eq ha^-1 ), while higher than that of OR (7786 ± 235 kg CO₂ eq ha^-1 ). Although the rice yield of ORD was slightly lower than that of CR, its nutrient density unit (NDU) did not decrease significantly due to the additional duck yield. Thus, the carbon footprint per NDU of ORD was significantly lower than that of OR by 24.3% (P < 0.05) and was 5.8% higher than that of CR, but this was not statistically significant. Due to the higher economic profits of ORD, its unit of carbon footprint per economic profit was significantly reduced (by 47.1-75.7%) compared with the other two farming modes, while the net ecosystem economic budget was significantly increased by 98.5-341.9% (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Transforming from a rice monoculture to a coculture system will contribute to a win-win situation for human health and environmental sustainability. This study highlighted the abundant nutritional output function of the rice-duck coculture and analyzed the urgency and necessity of transitioning from traditional agriculture to ecological agriculture from the production and consumption perspectives. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Promoting agri-food systems resilience through ICT in developing countries amid COVID-19

An increasing body of literature has demonstrated COVID-19's harmful impact on agri-food systems, which are a major source of livelihood for millions of people worldwide. Information and communication technology (ICT) has been playing an increasing role in enhancing agri-food systems' resilience amid COVID-19. In this study, the PRISMA approach was employed to perform a systematic review of the literature from January 2020 to December 2021 on the overall impact of COVID-19 on agri-food system networks and ICT's role in enhancing agri-food system resilience in developing countries. This study reveals that COVID-19 has posed abundant obstacles to agri-food systems actors, including a lack of inputs, technical support, challenges to selling the product, transportation barriers, and low pricing. These impediments result in insufficient output, unforeseen stock, and revenue loss. COVID-19's restrictions have caused a significant food deficit by disrupting the demand and supply sides of the agri-food system networks. A high number of small-scale farmers have had to deal with food insecurity. As a result of the cumulative effects, actors in the agri-food system are getting less motivated to continue producing. This study also argues that many challenges in the agri-food systems can be overcome using ICTs, including maintaining precise farm management, product marketing, and access to production inputs. To assist stakeholders in coping with, adapting to, and building resilience in the agri-food system networks, this article emphasizes the critical need to turn to and expand the application of advanced agricultural ICTs to meet the world's growing needs for food production and to ensure the resilience and sustainability of farming systems, particularly in the face of a pandemic like COVID-19.

How online food delivery platforms contributed to the resilience of the urban food system in China during the COVID-19 pandemic

We use high-frequency data to quantify the nature and performance of online food delivery platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic in urban China, and to estimate the short- and long-term effects of lockdown and reopening measures. A staggered difference-in-differences (DID) estimation strategy and event study approach are used to identify the effects of lockdown and reopening measures on the performance of online food delivery platforms and restaurants. The results indicate that some restaurants continued to operate and offer online food delivery while lockdowns were in effect. Both the number of operating restaurants and their online food delivery services rebounded and experienced further growth after lockdowns were lifted. The adjustment path of the online food delivery business following the implementation of lockdowns differed from the adjustment path following the lifting of lockdowns. The lockdown and reopening measures did not affect all types of restaurant/cuisine equally. We also examine possible impact mechanisms of lockdown measures on online food delivery and restaurants, and conduct robustness checks to confirm the stability of the main findings. This study contributes to the existing literature by confirming the positive contribution of online food delivery to the resilience of urban food systems in response to unexpected external shocks. Our results have implications for the design of policies to guarantee food supply and help urban food systems adapt to unexpected shocks.

Deconstructing Immersion in the Experience Economy Framework for Immersive Dining Experiences through Mixed Reality

In this study, we test the immersive character in an interactive content narrative developed for Microsoft HoloLens 2 mixed reality glasses in the dining context. We use retrospective think aloud protocol (RTAP) and galvanic skin response (GSR) to explore different types of immersion that can be created through interactive content narratives. Leaning on the core dimensions of the experience economy, we expand the current understanding on the role of immersion through integration of four immersive experience facilitators. The study revealed that these immersive experience facilitators occur simultaneously and can be enhanced through interactive content narrative design. Perceived novelty and curiosity were identified as key determinants to keep consumers engaged in the immersive experience and engage with the content. The study verifies the use of galvanic skin response in combination with retrospective think aloud protocol as a suitable approach to measure emotional engagement potential in interpreting consumers' recollection of immersive experiences.

A participatory tool for assessing land footprint in city-region food systems—A case study from Metropolitan Copenhagen

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fragility of current food systems to feed populations around the world. Particularly in urban centers, consumers have been confronted with this vulnerability, highlighting reliance on just-in-time logistics, imports and distant primary production. Urban food demand, regional food supply, land use change, and transport strategies are considered key factors for reestablishing resilient landscapes as part of a sustainable food system. Improving the sustainability of food systems in such circumstances entails working on the interrelations between food supply and demand, rural and urban food commodity production sites, and groups of involved actors and consumers. Of special significance is the agricultural land in close proximity to urban centers. Calling for more holistic approaches in the sense of inclusiveness, food security, citizen involvement and ecological principles, this article describes the use of a new decision support tool, the Metropolitan Foodscape Planner (MFP). The MFP features up-to-date European datasets to assess the potential of current agricultural land use to provide food resources (with special attention to both plant- and animal-based products) and meet the demand of city dwellers, and help to empower citizens, innovators, companies, public authorities and other stakeholders of regional food systems to build a more regionalized food supply network. The tool was tested in the context of the food system of the Copenhagen City Region in two collaborative workshops, namely one workshop with stakeholders of the Copenhagen City Region representing food consultancies, local planning authorities and researchers, and one in-person workshop masterclass with MSc students from the University of Copenhagen. Workshop participants used the tool to learn about the impacts of the current food system at the regional and international level with regard to the demand-supply paradigm of city-regions. The ultimate goal was to develop a participatory mapping exercise and test three food system scenarios for a more regionalized and sustainable food system and, therefore, with increased resilience to crises. Results from this implementation also demonstrated the potential of the tool to identify food production sites at local level that are potentially able to feed the city region in a more sustainable, nutritious and way.

Community resilience to pandemics: An assessment framework developed based on the review of COVID-19 literature

The COVID-19 outbreak in 2019 and the challenges it posed to communities around the world, demonstrated the necessity of enhancing the resilience of communities to pandemics. In this regard, assessment frameworks can play an essential role and guide resilience-building efforts. However, the lack of a comprehensive assessment framework has led to a focus on sectoral evaluation. This study aims to propose an integrated framework for assessing the pandemic resilience of communities. For this purpose, we rely on a systematic review of literature indexed in major academic databases. We have thoroughly analyzed a total number of 115 related documents to extract relevant criteria. Findings show that many criteria and factors affect community resilience to pandemics. By inductive content coding in MAXQDA software, we have categorized these criteria into five dimensions of Institutional, Social, Economic, Infrastructural, and Demographic. Good leadership and management, insurance and governmental support, planning and preparation, expertise and labor, and available equipment and technologies are the most important institutional criteria. Communication and collective identity, mutual support, public safety and protection, public awareness, and social justice are the influential social criteria. Economic sustainability and resource availability are criteria of economic resilience. Sufficiency of services, public spaces, housing tenure, and transportation system are the main criteria related to the built environment and infrastructural dimension. Finally, demographic resilience includes physical health, psychological well-being, life quality, and hygiene. Based on these criteria, this study develops an integrated evaluation framework that researchers can implement along with conventional assessment and ranking methods to determine the level of community resilience to pandemics.

Greenhouse Gas Emission: Perception during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The period 2020/2021 was an unprecedented and historic time for industrial, economic, and societal activities all over the world with great challenges to human health, the ecosystems, and other aspects of human endeavors owing to the COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2 (CV-19) pandemic which is now a topical aspect of research interest. Despite the negative impacts of the CV-19 pandemic, there are also positive reports during the CV-19 pandemic such as the reduction of gas flare, reduction in the burning of fossil fuels from automobile exhaust and a reduction in the other ensuing factors of greenhouse gases emissions (which is one of the major drives for global warming and climate change as well as other environmental effluences). Hence, this brief perspective review study is centered on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. The study employs a methodical approach to analyze some already available research studies from existing publications and databases on GHG emission using the perception during the CV-19 pandemic. The specific findings from this review show that, from the meteorological perspective, the global response to the catastrophe ensuing from the CV-19 pandemic has a great influence on the reduction of GHGs, the reduction in the burning of fossil fuels from automobiles and industrial devices, and the reduction in the other ensuing factors of GHG emission. Hence, it will not be far from the truth to conclude that there is a possible positive connection between the CV-19 pandemic and GHG emissions. The study has a direct impact on the environment owing to the negative and positive environmental consequences of the CV-19 pandemic. Suggestions and recommendations in the form of future prospects of GHG emission vis-à-vis global warming and climate change are also discussed. Furthermore, suggestions on how to improve food security and agriculture during a pandemic such as the CV-19 outbreak period are highlighted.

Changes in China's Food Self-Sufficiency Rate in the Context of a Changing Dietary Structure

This paper explores the impacts of the evolution of the dietary structure of the population on national food security using the food self-sufficiency rate under various statistical dimensions and simulate various food security scenarios for China in the medium- and long-term future. This study indicates that China’s rapid economic and social development and the continuous improvement in people’s living standards appears to be declining in the food self-sufficiency rate. The analysis regarding the factors influencing the food self-sufficiency rate revealed that the improved dietary structure, involving an increase in animal-based food product consumption, has led to a decrease in China’s food self-sufficiency rate. It concludes that the dietary structure is likely to continue to move toward increased consumption of animal-based food products in China for the future. The research results will assist decision-makers in formulating scientific food self-sufficiency rate targets and food security strategies

Dynamic Impacts of External Uncertainties on the Stability of the Food Supply Chain: Evidence from China

The food supply chain operates in a complex and dynamic external environment, and the external uncertainties from natural and socio-economic environment pose great challenges to the development of the food industry. In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia–Ukraine conflict have further exacerbated the vulnerability of the global food supply chain. Analyzing the dynamic impacts of external uncertainties on the stability of food supply chain is central to guaranteeing the sustainable security of food supply. Based on the division of food supply chain and the classification of external uncertainties, the TVP-FAVAR-SV model was constructed to explore the dynamic impacts of external uncertainties on food supply chain. It was found that the impacts of external uncertainty elements were significantly different, the combination of different external uncertainty elements aggravated or reduced the risks of food supply chain. And some uncertainty elements had both positive and negative impacts in the whole sample period, as the magnitude and direction of the impacts of various uncertainties in different periods had time-varying characteristics.

Impacts of COVID-19 on Nutritional Intake in Rural China: Panel Data Evidence

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced risks and challenges to global food and nutrition security. In this paper, we examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nutritional intake of China’s rural residents using panel data and a fixed effects model. The data were collected in 2019 and 2020 and covered nine provinces and 2631 households in rural China. The results reveal that an increase of 100 confirmed cases in a county resulted in a 1.30% (p < 0.01), 1.42% (p < 0.01), 1.65% (p < 0.01), and 1.15% (p < 0.01) decrease in per capita intake of dietary energy, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, respectively. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant and negative effect on dietary macronutrient intake in the low-income group at the 5% level of significance. Our study indicates that the potential insufficient nutrition situation, nutritional imbalance, and dietary imbalance of low-income rural residents should be addressed appropriately.

Food Acquisition during the COVID-19 Lockdown and Its Associations with the Physical-Digital Integrated Community Food Environment: A Case Study of Nanjing, China

The COVID-19 pandemic and measures such as lockdowns affect food access, dietary choices, and food security. We conducted an online survey among 517 respondents during early 2020 in Nanjing, China to explore respondents' food acquisition behaviors before and during the pandemic and associations with the community food environment. Using geographic analysis and binary logistic models, we revealed that despite inconvenience regarding food acquisition, no food security issues occurred during lockdown in Nanjing. The pandemic changed the access and frequency of obtaining food; meanwhile, pre-pandemic habits had a strong impact on food acquisition behavior. Online and in-store food acquisition showed a substitution relationship, with online food access playing a crucial role in food acquisition. Physical and digit food outlets are highly integrated in Chinese urban communities, and both objectively measured and perceived accessibility of these food outlets had a significant association with the food acquisition methods and transportation mode chosen by people during this public health crisis.

A global trade supply chain vulnerability in COVID-19 pandemic: An assessment metric of risk and resilience-based efficiency of CoDEA method

The COVID-19 pandemic has an adverse impact on the global trade supply chain. Countries where the economy is driven by global trade, either as exporters or importers and are faced with the problem of declining imports and exports. This is due to the interruption of the main players of the global supply chain (i.e., production, logistics and transportation sector) as well as the slow-down in consumption of overseas customers. This paper presents the development of an efficiency related metric from the Coherent Data Envelopment Analysis (CoDEA) method for assessing the vulnerability (or conversely, the robustness) levels of the supply chain system of six ASEAN countries. The results reveal that Thailand is most vulnerable to international supply chain issues indicated by its lowest efficiency score. This is due to Thailand's severe disruption of logistics and transportation systems compared with its neighboring countries. In contrast, Vietnam is the most robust because of its efficiency in the exports sector. Our research reveals that trading partners with a lower risk and the ability to rapidly recover their import volume reflect their less vulnerable supply chains. This research provides the associated strategies to establish a resilient global supply chain in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on Household Food Security and Access to Social Protection Programs in the Philippines: Findings From a Telephone Rapid Nutrition Assessment Survey

This study assessed the status and factors that affected the food security of Filipino households and their access to social protection programs and coping mechanisms during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the Philippines. A rapid nutrition assessment survey through telephone interview was conducted on November 3 to December 3, 2020, among households covered in the 2019 Expanded National Nutrition Survey (ENNS) to compare the status of household food security before and during the pandemic. A total of 9 provinces and highly urbanized areas were selected as study sites based on risk to COVID-19 infection categorized as low, medium, and high. A total of 5717 households with contact numbers participated in the study. Results showed that almost two-thirds (62.1%) of the households experienced moderate to severe food insecurity when strict community quarantines started. The increase in the proportion of moderate to severe food insecurity was higher in the low- and medium-risk areas of COVID-19 infection than in high-risk areas (P < .05). The poorest households were 1.7 times more likely to become moderate to severely food insecure compared to middle-income households. No money to buy food (22.1%) was the top concern of food-insecure households. Purchasing food on credit, borrowing food from family, and loans from relatives and friends are the top coping strategies of food-insecure households. The results imply the need to extend assistance equitably to households and areas with fewer resources and minimal or no benefactors.

Enablers for resilience and pandemic preparedness in food supply chain

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has caused enormous disruptions to supply chain (SCs). Border restrictions forced countless businesses to close either permanently or temporarily. However, the food industry is an essential sector that needs to be operational during a pandemic. Although the food industry has proactively worked towards fulfilling human needs, the food supply chain (FSC) faced numerous challenges, forcing SC managers to rethink their business strategy to cater to consumer demands effectively. In a pandemic situation, manufacturing operations need to repurpose and adapt to produce different high-demand products. Resilience initiatives help fight disruption phases in an uncertain environment by building capacity to resist and recover to a better position. This study identifies 14 key enablers to develop a resilient FSC and reveals the most significant enablers in India. We used a hybrid Delphi-interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and Fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (Fuzzy-DEMATEL) methodology to achieve these goals. The Delphi technique identified essential enablers, while the ISM analyzed the interrelationship among enablers and level of importance in a hierarchical structural model. Finally, the Fuzzy-DEMATEL categorized the enablers into the cause-effect group. This study helps SC decision-makers recognize the enablers and the contextual and causal relationships to improve resilience initiatives. It also helps them repurpose their manufacturing operations and shift to other highly required and high-demand production.

Exploring linkages between food security and economic growth: a Systematic mapping literature review

Food security can be achieved by being carried out simultaneously alongside the economy's growth at the macro level. While many countries worldwide carry out economic growth policies to improve food security, the causal relationship between economic growth and food security is still debated. This study uses a systematic mapping review to analyze the relationship between food security (FS) and economic growth (EG) using a systematic mapping review. There are 26 previous research results from 780 articles obtained. Database from google scholar, ScienceDirect, Elsevier, and JSTOR with a limited date range on published information from 2004-2021. The result shows an empirical gap in the relationship between FS dan EG with 76.92% supporting the correlative relationship between FS and EG, while the other 19.23% claimed that there is no correlation, and 3.85% (one study) explored the relationship between EG and FI (Food Insecurity). Furthermore, 11 studies explained that EG has a positive effect on FS; one study stated that it has a negative impact, and another one hurts Food insecurity. Meanwhile, seven studies revealed that FS has a positive effect on economic growth, one study on the contrary, and two studies explained it has no effect. Availability and GDP per Capita variables were mainly used in describing the relationship between FS and EG.

Dynamics and Determinants of the Grain Yield Gap in Major Grain-Producing Areas: A Case Study in Hunan Province, China

Understanding the dynamics of the grain yield gap (YGAP) and its causative factors is essential for optimizing the layout of grain production and addressing the food crisis, especially in countries with a huge population and less cultivated land, such as China. In the study, a spatial analysis- and machine learning-based framework for YGAP analysis was developed, taking Hunan Province, China, as an application. The results showed that the average YGAP in Hunan Province gradually narrowed from 1990 to 2018, and the YGAPs narrowed in 116 counties. Of which, 26 counties narrowed by more than 4 t ha-1, 58 counties narrowed from 2-4 t ha-1, and 32 counties narrowed within 2 t ha-1. Additionally, we found that the GDP per capita (GDPPC), sunshine hours (SH), per capita annual net income of farmers (PCAI), and rural electricity consumption (REC) play a key role in YGAP change, and the importance of human investment to the YGAP decreased, while socioeconomic environment became the dominant factor that influenced grain production. Comprehensively, the relatively great potential for grain yield growth was generated in sixty-four counties, which are mainly located in the northern, central, and southern Hunan. The findings suggest that it is necessary to consider the trends of economic development in rural areas and population migration in agricultural management. This work provides insights into yield gap dynamics and may contribute to sustainable agricultural management in Hunan Province, China, and other similar regions.

Considering Ecosystem Services in Food System Resilience

The prevalence and severity of natural hazards pose a serious risk to food systems, undermining their function to provide food security and improved nutrition. The impact of such events is extensive, and the level of damage and recovery significantly depend on ecosystem services, including their own resilience capacity. This paper provides evidence that the role, value, and utilization of local ecosystem services are essential for food system resilience and for food security in parts of the world where high vulnerability and lack of coping capacity exist to combat climate change. Patterns of ecosystem services-based strategies were revealed that can be introduced to cope and adapt to climate-related natural hazards at the smallholder food system level. The study suggests that food system diversification, technological innovations and nature-based practices, and traditional and indigenous knowledge operationalized across the food system components have a potential for sustaining smallholder resilience in the face of natural hazards.

Spatial Heterogeneity of Household Food Consumption and Nutritional Characteristics of Grassland Transects in Inner Mongolia, China

Household food consumption is the associative link between ecosystems and anthropogenic activities. In grassland areas, inappropriate food consumption patterns will cause irreversible damage to vulnerable local ecosystems. For this study, we selected three typical transitional grassland areas of Inner Mongolia, China (i.e., meadow steppe, typical steppe, and desert steppe), to analyze spatial heterogeneity in household food consumption and nutritional characteristics. Results showed that: (a) Food consumption structures exhibited zonal gradients from east to west alongside a reduction in grassland conditions. Additionally, the average food consumption quantity also decreased. Available food supplies altered household preferences for vegetables and fruits, meat, dairy products, and other food consumption category types. (b) The nutritional structure implied that grains provided the main source of energy, proteins, and fat for local rural households, while meat, dairy products, beans (including bean byproducts), and oils caused a fluctuation in the nutritional structure of residents. (c) Local food supplies affect short-term local food consumption patterns, while socioeconomic development affects long-term food consumption patterns. This study is intended to provide a reference for the development of sustainable strategies for regional resource management.

How COVID-19 pandemic is affecting achieved food security in Bangladesh: A perspective with required policy interventions

The COVID-19, also known as a coronavirus, is currently wreaking havoc on livelihood, food security, and nutrition security around the world. In developing countries like Bangladesh the situation is far worse. The purpose of this perspective is to highlight the current state and changes of food security in Bangladesh in the context of COVID-19. During the COVID-19 period, the income of a certain set of people fell, which may have contributed to the growth in the poverty rate. It also had an impact on the agro-food systems, supply-value chain, and market levels as a result of the lockdown, movement and social gathering restrictions. The COVID-19 pandemic has an impact on the total food consumption status of the entire country, affecting all segments of the population. To obtain a greater understanding, our analysis identifies current gaps and the pandemic's potential impact from previously published works and reports.

A Shock to the System: What the COVID-19 Pandemic Reveals About Australia's Food Systems and Their Resilience

Australia has managed well through the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to many other developed nations. Through its first and second waves it was relatively successful in terms of control of outbreaks. Nevertheless, like everywhere, the shock to national systems has been profound, and adjustment remains complex and volatile. Food is a critical human need, and the food industry is recognised as a vital economic sector. We present an examination of some of the adaptive responses of Australia's food systems during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, from January 2020 to October 2020, with a focus on three case studies (seafood exports, consumer behaviour and food sector employment). These case studies provide observations of specific stresses experienced, as well as insights into the adaptation strategies carried out by various actors within the nation's food systems. The shock was experienced differently in different parts of given food systems, and the opportunities for adaptation varied. Some supply chains lost business, others had to adapt to rapidly increased demands, and surges. Our analysis reveals features of Australia's food systems, and their relationships to other systems, that have facilitated resilience, and features that have impeded it. We found that international supply chains are highly vulnerable to global shocks, that insecure employment conditions throughout the food system reduce the resilience of the system overall, and that consumers are not fully confident in supply chains. We observed the importance of agency and adaptive behaviour throughout the food systems as actors worked to build their own resilience, with consequences for other parts of the system. Our findings suggest that food system resilience can be enhanced by ensuring that the goals and priorities of those most vulnerable in society are recognised and addressed within decision making processes throughout the system.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Food Consumption and Dietary Quality of Rural Households in China

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the food supply chain and thus threatened the food security of many people, while the impact of the pandemic on food consumption of people living in rural areas is still unknown. This study filled in the research gaps by employing a three-wave food consumption survey from 2019 to 2021 conducted in rural China. We adopted a random effect model and Poisson regression to quantify the short-run and long-run impacts of COVID-19 on rural households' food consumption and dietary quality. We found that rural households increased the consumption of vegetables, aquaculture products and legumes in the short-run, and these changes in consumption behavior even lasted 1 year after lockdown was lifted. However, the positive impact was much smaller in households not engaged in agricultural production. In addition, our results showed that COVID-19 decreased dietary diversity but increased dietary quality for households still engaged in food-related agriculture production. Our study indicated that COVID-19 did not threaten the food security status of rural families in China. On the contrary, rural families, particularly those still engaged in agricultural production, increased the consumption of several foods to strengthen their resistance against the virus.

COVID-19 Pandemic, Technological Progress and Food Security Based on a Dynamic CGE Model

The global spread of COVID-19 has complicated the international equilibrium of grain production and trade. China now faces external shocks in the international grain market and deep-seated problems associated with the structure of domestic supply. We used a dynamic, computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to analyse the effects on China’s food security and macroeconomics under the COVID-19 scenario and four technological progress paths in the agricultural sector. We showed that the COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting China’s food security in the short term, and critical quantitative variables such as grain production and grain consumption per capita have declined. Considering food security and macroeconomic development, labour-saving technological progress outperformed neutral technological progress, land-saving technological progress, and capital-saving technological progress in the short run. While land-saving technological progress contributes the most to the arable land area per capita of wheat and other grains in the long run.

Reshaping Food Policy and Governance to Incentivize and Empower Disadvantaged Groups for Improving Nutrition

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has exacerbated global malnutrition challenges, disrupted food supply chains, and left poor and vulnerable people unable to produce and access safe and affordable food, especially in developing countries. Food policy and governance are currently malfunctioning, despite their recognized roles in improving food security and public nutrition in many local and national contexts. This article reviews existing food policies and governance with implications for disadvantaged groups in the food systems, particularly smallholder farmers, women, and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), highlighting the importance of reshaping food policies and governance. To end malnutrition in the post-COVID era, multiple sectors, including health, agriculture, social protection, education, and infrastructure, must make greater collaborative efforts to develop and implement food and nutrition policies. Several recommendations for reshaping food policy interventions and governance are summarized.

Experiences and Lessons from Agri-Food System Transformation for Sustainable Food Security: A Review of China's Practices

Food system transformation has been a widely discussed topic in international society over time. For the last few decades, China has made remarkable achievements in food production and has contributed greatly to the reduction in global hunger and poverty. Examining experiences and lessons from China's food security practices over the years is helpful to promote a national food system transformation for China, as well as other developing countries. This study systematically reviews the literature on Chinese food security studies, with the aim of assessing China's food security achievements and examining the remaining and emerging issues in the pursuit of food system transformation. The results show that China has continuously promoted food system transformation in land consolidation, agri-food production technologies, management and organization modes, food reserves, trade governance, and food consumption. These transformations ensure not only food availability, timeliness, and nutrition, but also in terms of the ecological, social, and economic sustainability, feasibility, and justice of food security. However, China is also confronting new challenges in food security, for example, malnutrition, environmental unsustainability, and reductions in diversified agri-food. In the future, China is expected to be committed to promoting healthy diets, sustainable agricultural production, climate change mitigation, and the reduction of food waste and loss to enhance its agri-food system's resilience.

Overstocked Agricultural Produce and Emergency Supply System in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Responses from China

The spread of COVID-19 has affected not only public health but also agriculture, raising global concerns regarding the food system. As an immediate impact of COVID-19, farmers around the globe have had difficulties with sales, resulting in large amounts of overstocked agricultural products and food loss. This further threatens the livelihood of rural, poor farmers and impacts sustainable production. To provide a better understanding of the overstocking situation after the outbreak of the pandemic, this study depicts the distribution characteristics of overstocked agricultural products in China. After analyzing a nationwide data set collected from 3482 individuals/organizations by the Chinese Agri-products Marketing Association after the outbreak of the pandemic, we found that some of the initial prevention and control measures disrupted sales channels, and in turn, caused the farmers to suffer losses. The impact was more severe in perishable products and their production areas, as well as in poverty-stricken regions. Then, we identified China's quick and effective actions to match the supply and demand. These findings suggest that emergency responses should coordinate the relationship between emergency actions and the necessary logistics of agricultural production. To prepare for the possibility of such shock in the future, the government should take actions to clear logistics obstacles for necessary transportation, keep enhancing the fundamental infrastructure and effective mechanism of the food supply chain, and actively include innovative techniques to build a more resilient food system.

Impact of Trade Openness on Food Security: Evidence from Panel Data for Central Asian Countries

The problem of food insecurity has become increasingly critical across the world since 2015, which threatens the lives and livelihoods of people around the world and has historically been a challenge confined primarily to developing countries, to which the countries of Central Asia, as typical transition countries, cannot be immune either. Under this context, many countries including Central Asian countries have recognized the importance of trade openness to ensure adequate levels of food security and are increasingly reliant on international trade for food security. Using the 2001-2018 panel data of Central Asian countries, based on food security's four pillars (including availability, access, stability, and utilization), this study empirically estimates the impact of trade openness and other factors on food security and traces a U-shaped (or inverted U-shaped) relationship between trade openness and food security by adopting a panel data fixed effect model as the baseline model, and then conducts the robustness test by using the least-squares (LS) procedure for the pooled data and a dynamic panel data (DPD) analysis with the generalized method of moments (GMM) approach, simultaneously. The results show that: (1) a U-shaped relationship between trade openness and the four pillars of food security was found, which means that beyond a certain threshold of trade openness, food security status tends to improve in Central Asian countries; (2) gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, GDP growth, and agricultural productivity have contributed to the improvement of food security. Employment in agriculture, arable land, freshwater withdrawals in agriculture, population growth, natural disasters, and inflation rate have negative impacts on food security; and (3) this study confirms that trade policy reforms can finally be conducive to improving food security in Central Asian countries. However, considering the effects of other factors, potential negative effects of trade openness, and vulnerability of global food trade network, ensuring reasonable levels of food self-sufficiency is still very important for Central Asian countries to achieve food security. Our research findings can provide scientific support for sustainable food system strategies in Central Asian countries.

Differences in the early impact of COVID-19 on food security and livelihoods in rural and urban areas in the Asia Pacific Region

Lockdowns due to COVID-19 in early 2020 had health, economic, and social consequences globally. Using survey data collected as part of a rapid assessment among non-governmental organization- (NGO) supported communities in six Asia Pacific countries (n = 13,522), this study examined if the early impacts of COVID-19 on job loss or reduced income, food expenditure, food availability at households and markets, and affordability of essential items, differed between rural and urban areas. Job loss or reduced income was higher in urban areas than in rural areas in India (91.2% vs. 82.5%), Myanmar (72.0% vs. 48.6%), and Vietnam (76.5% vs. 44.9%). While there was a significant decline in food expenditure in all six countries, there were significantly larger reductions in food expenditures in urban areas versus rural areas in India (35.2% vs. 24.0%), Myanmar (30.8% vs. 8.5%), and Vietnam (31.0% vs. 2.3%). Food stocks were less available in urban areas than in rural areas in Bangladesh (18.8% vs. 37.8%), India (91.5% vs.76.0%), and Myanmar (72.0% vs. 59.0%). Foods and essential items were largely available at markets, without significant differences between rural and urban areas, except in Vietnam. Full affordability was only 20%-30% for most items, with a trend of higher affordability of some items in urban areas than in rural areas. Recommendations to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 include promoting urban agriculture with efficient food distribution and cash support and supporting small-holder farmers for procurement and adequate functioning of the supply chain system in the region.

Evolution of Global Food Trade Patterns and Its Implications for Food Security Based on Complex Network Analysis

Global food trade is an integral part of the food system, and plays an important role in food security. Based on complex network analyses, this paper analyzed the global food trade network (FTN) and its evolution from 1992 to 2018. The results show that: (1) food trade relations have increased and global FTN is increasingly complex, efficient, and tighter. (2) Global food trade communities have become more stable and the trade network has evolved from "unipolar" to "multipolar". (3) Over the nearly 30-year period, the core exporting countries have been stable and concentrated, while the core importing countries are relatively dispersed. The increasingly complex food trade network improves food availability and nutritional diversity; however, the food trade system, led by several large countries, has increased the vulnerability of some countries' food systems and brings about unsafe factors, such as global natural disasters and political instability. It is supposed to establish a food security community to protect the global food trade market, address multiple risks, and promote global food security.

Financial development, oil resources, and environmental degradation in pandemic recession: to go down in flames

The novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is a deadly disease that increases global healthcare sufferings. Further, it affects the financial and natural resource market simultaneously, as both are considered complementary goods. The volatility in the oil prices deteriorates the global financial market to substantiate the "financial resource (oil) curse" hypothesis primarily filled with earlier studies. In contrast, this study moved forward and extended the given relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic in a panel of 81 different countries. The study's main objective is to examine the volatility in the domestic credit provided to the private sector due to oil shocks and the COVID-19 pandemic across countries. The study is essential to assess the healthcare vulnerability in the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the damage of financial stability, causing deterioration in the oil rents to affect the global sustainability agenda. The study employed statistical techniques to get sound inferences of the parameter estimates, including robust least squares regression, seemingly unrelated regression, and innovation accounting matrix to get a variable estimate at the level and inter-temporal framework. The results confirmed the U-shaped relationship between oil rents and financial development during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, it verifies the "financial resource (oil) curse" hypothesis at the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Later down, it supports the capital market when economies are resuming their economic activities and maintaining the SOPs to restrain coronavirus at a global scale. The qualitative assessment confirmed the negative effect of financial development and oil shocks on environmental quality during the pandemic crisis. The innovation accounting matrix shows that the COVID-19 pandemic will primarily be the main factor that intervenes in the relationship between oil rents and financial development, which proceed towards the "resource curse" hypothesis during the following years' time period. Therefore, the need for long-term economic policies is highly desirable to support the financial and resource market under the suggested guidelines of restraining coronavirus worldwide.

Food insecurity arises the likelihood of hospitalization in patients with COVID-19

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Corona pandemic as a public health emergency. This pandemic affects the main pillars of food security. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between food insecurity and the probability of hospitalization and the length of the recovery period after getting COVID-19. The cross-sectional study was performed through the census on COVID-19 patients diagnosed in Fasa, Iran. Informed consent, demographic, and food security questionnaire were completed over the phone. Then, all patients were followed up until recovery. Data were analyzed using SPSS26 and Chi-square test, t-test, and logistic regression (P < 0.05). In this study, 219 COVID-19 patients [100 (54.7%) male and 119 (54.3%) female] with a mean age of 40.05 ± 15.54 years old were examined. Possibility of hospitalization and the length of the recovery period of more than one month was significantly longer in the food-insecure group (P = 0.001) and (P = 0.37), respectively, but the mean length of hospital stay in the two groups was not significantly different (P = 0.76). After adjusting for all confounding variables, people with food insecurity were 3.9 times more likely to be hospitalized than those with food security. Overall, we observed that food-insecure people were significantly more likely to be hospitalized than the secure group.

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Security and Agriculture in Iran: A Survey

The consequences of COVID-19 on the economy and agriculture have raised many concerns about global food security, especially in developing countries. Given that food security is a critical component that is affected by global crises, beside the limited studies carried out on the macro-impacts of COVID-19 on food security in Iran, this paper is an attempt to address the dynamic impacts of COVID-19 on food security along with economic and environmental challenges in Iran. For this purpose, a survey was conducted with the hypothesis that COVID-19 has not affected food security in Iran. To address this fundamental hypothesis, we applied the systematic review method to obtain the evidence. Various evidences, including indices and statistics, were collected from national databases, scientific reports, field observations, and interviews. Preliminary results revealed that COVID-19 exerts its effects on the economy, agriculture, and food security of Iran through six major mechanisms, corresponding to a 30% decrease in the purchasing power parity in 2020 beside a significant increase in food prices compared to 2019. On the other hand, the expanding environmental constraints in Iran reduce the capacity of the agricultural sector to play a crucial role in the economy and ensure food security, and in this regard, COVID-19 forces the national programs and budget to combat rising ecological limitations. Accordingly, our study rejects the hypothesis that COVID-19 has not affected food security in Iran.

Causal Impacts of Epidemics and Pandemics on Food Supply Chains: A Systematic Review

The epidemics and pandemics can severely affect food supply chains, including producers, retailers, wholesalers, and customers. To minimize their impacts, it is fundamental to implement effective policies that ensure continuity in the provision, affordability, and distribution of basic food items. This research identifies the main impacts of pandemics and epidemics on food supply chains and policies that can minimize these impacts. Based on a systematic literature review (SLR), 173 documents are analysed to propose a taxonomy of impacts on four supply chain links: demand-side, supply-side, logistics and infrastructure, and management and operation. The taxonomy presents the main impacts and respective mitigation policies. In addition, the literature review leads to the development of a comprehensive causal loop diagram (CLD) with the identification of main variables and their relationship with food supply chains. Finally, a specific research agenda is proposed by identifying the main research gaps. These findings provide a structured method for evaluating policies that ensure the functioning of food supply chains, particularly in disruptions such as epidemics and pandemics.

A Framework for Addressing the Twin Challenges of COVID-19 and Climate Change for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in South Asia

Climate change has begun to ravage agriculture and threaten food security in many parts of the world. The novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has further disrupted agricultural activities and supply chains and has become a serious threat for public health. Like in many developing countries, South Asian farmers are now facing the double challenge of addressing the impacts of a changing climate and managing the disruptions caused by COVID-19. Despite growing concern, there is limited understanding of how climate change, public health, and COVID-19 interact, and of the possible pathways to achieving a climate-friendly recovery from COVID-19 to achieve food and nutrition security. In view of this, this paper explores the multifaceted challenges that farmers are now facing in South Asia due to climate change and the disruption caused by COVID-19 from the agricultural and food security lens. The analysis reveals that the complex interactions of COVID-19 and climate change have impacted all dimensions of food security. These interlinkages demand an integrated approach in dealing with food, public health, and climate change to harness synergies and minimize trade-offs between food production, public health, and climate mitigation. I present a framework to address the immediate challenge of COVID-19 and the longer-term challenge of anthropogenic climate change. Key elements of the framework include the strengthening health sector response capacities, strengthening of local and regional food systems, making agriculture resilient to pandemics, adopting flexible and smart approaches—including the implementation of climate-smart agricultural interventions on different scales, promotion of appropriate research and innovation, and the integration of short-term support to address the challenges of COVID-19 to build long-term productivity, and resilience of food systems by investing on natural capital. This framework would enable policy makers to choose the appropriate policy responses at different scales, to address these twin challenges of COVID-19 and climate change.

Looking Through the COVID-19 Window of Opportunity: Future Scenarios Arising From the COVID-19 Pandemic Across Five Case Study Sites

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused (and continues to cause) severe disruption in global and local economies and has forced countries, societies, and individuals to adapt quickly to the unprecedented and unpredictable situations. Despite the obvious negative consequences of the pandemic, many have called for efforts to identify transformative opportunities for sustainable development throughout this disorderly time. In the present paper, we explore such potential opportunities in the context of an interdisciplinary, international research project, which is focusing on sustainable marine management in biosphere reserves and marine parks in Southeast Asia. During a virtual workshop conducted as part of the GCRF (Government's Global Challenges Research Fund) Blue Communities Project, future scenarios were developed depicting the potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on five case study sites. All of these sites are in areas of internationally recognized outstanding ecological value (Taka Bonerate Kepulauan-Selayar Biosphere Reserve, Indonesia; Tun Mustapha Park, Sabah, Malaysia; Palawan Biosphere Reserve, Philippines; North Devon Biosphere Reserve, United Kingdom; Cu Lao Cham-Hoi An Biosphere Reserve, Vietnam). At the macro-level, economies, governance structures, and societal norms are undergoing big changes. At the micro-level, the livelihoods, lifestyles, and backyards of local residents have to adapt. Collaboratively, we explored how COVID-19 posed challenges in our five case study sites, but we also focused on the potential COVID-19-related windows of opportunity for future sustainable development. Opportunities could be identified in all three pillars of sustainable development: the environment, the society, and the economy. Although remarkable similarities can be found across all five sites, we conclude that there cannot be a "one-size-fits-all" solution to turn the tide toward achieving sustainable development. Just as before the pandemic, sustainable development starts with engaging with and understanding local environments, challenges, and situations; building on local knowledge; and developing tailor-made solutions for the communities in situ.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on fish consumption and household food security in Dhaka city, Bangladesh

The effects of COVID-19 are continuing to increase around the world as the pandemic claims thousands of lives. Bangladesh is no exception and has been greatly affected by SARS-CoV-2. Apart from the number of people who are or have been directly getting infected with this disease, millions of people are directly or indirectly facing many challenges to their livelihoods and the security of their food and nutritional supply, along with other societal issues created by the pandemic. In this study, a hybrid approach of online and telephone questionnaire surveys was used to investigate the food security of Dhaka city's inhabitants at household level. Approximately 80% of the respondents reported reduced income, and a quarter of respondents lost their jobs between March and June 2020. The frequency of fish consumption, an essential component of Bangladeshi diets, significantly reduced during the pandemic. This was especially apparent in affluent segments of the community. Out of the respondents, 75% reported an increase in the price of fish in Dhaka city. A range of coping strategies were observed: including decreasing the frequency of grocery shopping, shifting to online shopping, reducing consumption of high price commodities, reducing junk food consumption, cleaning fish and meat with hot water and vinegar, and increasing the consumption of protein and vitamin C rich food items. Prior to COVID-19, 80% of the households surveyed bought fish from wet markets. This number dropped to 45% during the pandemic. Many households substituted fish and meat with poultry, eggs and dried fish. About half of the households stockpiled rice, lentils and potatoes during the peak of the pandemic. However, if the pandemic lasts for a prolonged period, those living on low incomes in urban areas will experience some level of food insecurity from a reduced income or loss of work. Because of this, a large-scale sustainability policy should be undertaken to secure the food and nutritional security of low-income and middle-class household.