Squeezed: The impact of Covid-19 on Mozambican agriculture
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i5.28085Keywords:
Covid-19; Agricultura; Segurança alimentar; Moçambique.Abstract
The world is facing a pandemic of an unprecedented nature. By the end of October 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic had claimed over a million lives and forced lockdowns across the world. People were restricted in their movements and economies around the world are still in limbo. This article analyzes the impacts of Covid-19 on the Mozambican agricultural sector by the end of 2020 when the pandemic was still a novelty and there were no vaccines available. Using secondary data analysis and interviews, this paper argues that the agricultural sector, especially cash crops, has been pressured by a combination of pre-existing factors, including weather conditions, terrorist attacks, and the financial crisis, which were, then, exacerbated by the new challenges presented by Covid-19. The direct effects of Covid-19 on the Mozambican agricultural sector were (1) a limitation on imports of essential agricultural inputs such as seeds, pesticides and fertilizers, and (2) a considerable reduction in the production and export of cash crop products. In addition, we found that food crops, which are less dependent on the global market, were less impacted. Nevertheless, the long-term impacts remain unclear, and more research is needed to provide a comprehensive understanding. Based on the results, we recommend that the impacts of Covid-19 be analyzed and better understood using a holistic approach that integrates data on pre-existing conditions and their dynamics to model future scenarios. Finally, we recommend expanding investments in local production of essential agricultural inputs such as fertilizers, improved seeds and pesticides.
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