Markets and Trade
Agricultural value chains in Zambia and the region are rapidly changing due to the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and associated mitigation measures. Potential effects of the COVID-19 on the food system such as food shortages, price rise, and loss of income are likely to have deep and profound effects on the poor and vulnerable segment of the population. These effects are likely to be experienced mostly due to the disruption of food systems resulting from the COVID-19 crisis, which may lead to hunger and malnutrition, with devastating ripple effects on the entire population. While there is much discussion around how best to mitigate the negative impacts of the pandemic on the economy and disruptions to people’s livelihoods, policy makers and stakeholders lack data and accurate information on which to base their policy decisions.
Against this background, IAPRI’s Markets and Trade Development Unit embarked on tracking essential food commodity and agricultural input prices and availability in Zambia to provide timely market information to policymakers and stakeholders. This information is critical in informing the design and implementation of safety net interventions aimed at softening the impacts of COVID-19 on food systems, particularly on the poor and vulnerable.