Global Food Security Amidst COVID-19 and Peace Corps Repatriations
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In 2019, more than one in four people (26.4% of the world population) battled food insecurity. Of those approximately two billion people, about 820 million of them were hungry [FN1-2].
And that was before the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of ongoing shutdowns, supply chain disruptions and labor shortages, experts predict global rates of hunger will increase dramatically in coming months [FN3]. In fact, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced in April that the number of people experiencing acute hunger in low- and middle-income countries could more than double by the end of 2020 [FN4].
Unfortunately, repatriation of international relief staff and volunteers in programs like the Peace Corps only heightens this risk. Here we’ll discuss why feeding people should remain a priority (even during the pandemic), why many countries need international support to end hunger, and how sudden extraction of global Peace Corps volunteers could make matters worse.
Hunger in the Time of Coronavirus
Nutrition matters, even during a global public health crisis.
People who can’t get enough food don’t just have grumbling stomachs and low energy. They also experience weight loss, mood changes and – of particular importance during a global pandemic – a higher susceptibility to illness and prolonged recovery times [FN5]. As a result, allowing hunger to spread in low- and middle-income countries not only precipitates individual hunger; it also places undue stress on already-limited healthcare resources and diminishes entire communities’ ability to curtail COVID-related morbidity and mortality.
WFP experts are most nervous about Africa and the Middle East, especially the millions of people living in or fleeing conflict zones. Refugee camps and urban slums present a particular risk because residents live in overcrowded communities and, in most cases, already battle some level of food insecurity.
Living in cramped areas is hazardous because contagious diseases like COVID-19 spread quickly from person to person. In addition to the increased risk of exposure and contagion, refugees and residents of poor urban communities also tend to fare worse because of limited access to healthcare & sanitation services – even if hunger isn’t an issue. Additionally, many people living in these settings earn money via the informal economy. As a result, even short-term disruptions to income and/or food supply – like those that occur as a result of government shutdowns, trade interruptions or supply chain failures – put families at high risk for hunger and poverty [FN4].
This likely combination of rampant exposure and a hunger-related lack of immunity makes COVID-19 a serious threat to these already-vulnerable communities.
That’s why hunger prevention is important, even during a global pandemic. While cases are now decreasing (or at least spreading slower) in most wealthy countries, many low- and low-middle income countries have just begun to see significant jumps in infection [FN6].
How Global Organizations Help Fight Hunger
The United Nations’ (UN) seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) identify specific ways to reduce poverty, improve wellbeing and protect the planet. In alignment with the second goal of “zero hunger,” domestic & international organizations have come together to make food cultivation more productive and sustainable, reduce food waste and feed the world’s hungry [FN7].
However, low- and middle-income countries often lack the resources needed to independently develop safety net programs or educational initiatives that effectively combat food insecurity and hunger. So international aid, like that provided by the UN (primarily executed through the FAO and WFP), serves a vital purpose in many developing countries.
The US government also helps independently and runs its own, separate programs. Many of these programs fall under the umbrella of Feed the Future, the American government’s grassroots initiative to reduce food insecurity and malnutrition worldwide [FN8].
The Peace Corps & Hunger
The Peace Corps is one of eleven organizations that participates in Feed the Future. For nearly 60 years, they have been sending Americans abroad to volunteer and help local communities address challenges related to environment, agriculture, education/youth, health and economic development.
Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) work to reduce hunger through each of the four pillars of food security: availability, accessibility, utilization and stability. For example, they help increase food availability by teaching courses on topics like irrigation, community gardening and husbandry. PCVs also improve accessibility by giving families tools to increase their income and learn to budget for long-term expenses, optimize utilization by teaching courses on nutrition and cooking, and promote stability by implementing agriculture methods that maximize yield and can be utilized long-term [FN8]. These are all proven, effective strategies that help reduce hunger and increase food security around the world.
Unfortunately, like many relief organizations’ workers, PCVs were recalled from their international posts when COVID-19 infections exploded in mid-March [FN9]. The absence of on-the-ground volunteers working to improve food security is just one less resource available to already at-risk communities.
Thankfully, like most of us, hunger experts are doing their best to work virtually. For example, the WFP has already increased their remote monitoring of food security, supply chain functionality & access to healthcare. (If you’d like to see the real time impact of COVID-19 and hunger in different countries, click here.) They’re also working to stockpile food & medical equipment in high-risk areas while commercial trade channels are still open [FN4].
Hopefully these actions can facilitate faster local and global responses to hunger crises, even if humanitarian and relief organizations’ workers are still stuck at home.
Resources
1. http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition
2. http://www.fao.org/sustainable-development-goals/indicators/211/en/
3. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/agriculture/brief/food-security-and-covid-19
5. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/malnutrition/symptoms/
6. https://api.hungermapdata.org/covid/dailyreport
7. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg2
8. https://www.peacecorps.gov/about/global-initiatives/feed-future/