Food security for Ilonggos during pandemic

“There are really only so many foods and so many ways you can prepare them.”

—Paula Poundstone

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE reiterate our call for Iloilo City officials to create a food bank in times of public health emergencies and disasters especially now that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COIVD-19) pandemic has threatened to further escalate while health authorities scramble to discover the vaccine.

It’s not only Iloilo City, Iloilo Province, and other major economic and agricultural areas in Western Visayas that are worried for the pandemic’s possible far-reaching effects in 2021 but also the entire country.

A food bank first in Cebu and other cities in the Visayas might serve as models for other cities and provinces in the Philippines.  

Not only that.

A food bank is expected to address the Ilonggos’ basic need for safe, adequate and nutritious food most especially the marginalized communities and vulnerable sectors.

Its creation will romp off through a city ordinance in the local legislature and, as we explained in our previous article, it shall be managed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DWSD) like what the Cebuanos had done early this month.

A “front line” model which is giving out food directly to the poor and hungry and the “warehouse” model which is supplying food to intermediaries should be the most practical and is doable.

Some of these intermediary groups are community kitchens and other frontline organizations who are specializing in hunger-relief assistance in times of public health emergencies and disasters like the ongoing pandemic.

 

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The growing demand for a food bank has increased amid reports that 

COVID-19 has led to a global economic slowdown that is affecting all four pillars of food security—availability, access, utilization, and stability—according to a new article from researchers at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), published in the journal Science.

Agricultural and food markets are reportedly facing continuous disruptions due to labor shortages caused by lockdowns, as well as large shifts in food demand arising from income losses and the closure of schools and restaurants. 

The key findings reportedly highlight the impact of COVID-19 on food systems, the global economy, poverty, health, and trade.

Article co-author and IFPRI Director-General Johan Swinnen said: “

The most important impact of the pandemic on food security is through income declines that put food access at risk.”

He added: "This is especially a concern for the extreme poor, who spend on average about 70 percent of their total income on food."

 

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reportedly projects a five percent decline in the world economy in 2020, a deeper global recession than during 2008-2009 financial crisis. 

Model-based simulations by IFPRI suggest that such a deep recession would push 150 million more people into extreme poverty; an increase of 24% from current levels. 

Most of the rise in poverty will be concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. 

Swinnen said: "Disruptions in food systems both contribute to increases in poverty, by affecting a critical source of income for many of the world's poor, and also exacerbate the impacts of poverty by reducing access to food, particularly nutritious foods.”

The researchers reportedly note that income declines will particularly affect consumption of nutrition-rich foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and animal-source products. 

“New evidence from Ethiopia confirms this impact and further indicates that it is expected to increase micronutrient deficiencies among its population, contributing to poor health and greater susceptibility to COVID-19,” reported the International Food Policy Research Institute.

Meanwhile, IFPRI disclosed that governments all over the world have made attempts to ensure availability of staple foods and these supply chains have generally held up well, even in countries with strict social distancing requirements. 

But food supply chains differ reportedly across countries and crops, as do the impacts of COVID-19 on supplies. 

Capital-intensive food value chains that are highly mechanized (predominant in rich countries for staple crops such as wheat, maize and soybeans) have reportedly continued functioning with few disruptions. 

“In contrast,” reported the IFRI, “food production in poor countries tends to be more labor-intensive; and production of many non-staples, such as fruits and vegetables, worldwide requires workers be in close proximity.”

These food value chains have reportedly shown more supply disruptions owing to the risk of disease transmission, labor shortages, and disruptions in transportation and logistics.

“Parts of food processing sectors in rich countries have also been susceptible to such disruptions, as evident in the case of United States and Europe, where 30,000 workers in meat processing tested positive for COVID-19, causing many plant closures,” IFPRI concluded.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)