ARTISANAL AND SMALL-SCALE MINING (ASM) AND COVID-19: RESPONDING TO THE PANDEMIC

The report details how COVID-19 disrupted artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) through health risks, supply chain breaks, and reduced market access. While many governments maintained basic support, the pandemic exacerbated vulnerabilities for women and increased the risk of illicit mining due to weakened government monitoring.

• The pandemic created severe health risks for ASM miners due to the remote nature of sites and a lack of essential protective gear, testing, and health infrastructure.
• Economic and operational disruptions included restricted access to sites and markets, supply chain failures preventing the import of equipment, and the suspension of certification schemes, which hindered the export of responsibly mined products.
• Government monitoring of ASM has been compromised by redirected spending and mobility restrictions, leading to an increase in illegal mining and the influx of foreign miners in some countries.
• The pandemic's impact on gender is varied; in some contexts, women faced increased food insecurity, lost livelihoods in ore processing and small businesses, and higher vulnerability to sexual and gender-based violence.
• While 71% of surveyed governments did not cancel specific ASM support programs, over half were unable to offer new pandemic-specific support. Those that did provide aid focused on sanitation equipment, gold-buying programs, and monetary or food aid.
• Future risks for the sector over the following 6 to 12 months include continued production decreases, limited access to financing, and the possibility that school closures will push children into ASM work.
• Governments identified the need for increased funding, the use of drone technology for monitoring illicit activities, and the implementation of formalization strategies to reduce miner vulnerability.

APA

Crawford, A. (2020). ARTISANAL AND SMALL-SCALE MINING (ASM) AND COVID-19: RESPONDING TO THE PANDEMIC. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-11/artisanal-small-scale-mining-covid-survey-en.pdf

Chicago

Crawford, Alec. ARTISANAL AND SMALL-SCALE MINING (ASM) AND COVID-19: RESPONDING TO THE PANDEMIC. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2020. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-11/artisanal-small-scale-mining-covid-survey-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Crawford |first1=Alec |title=ARTISANAL AND SMALL-SCALE MINING (ASM) AND COVID-19: RESPONDING TO THE PANDEMIC |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=November 2020 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-11/artisanal-small-scale-mining-covid-survey-en.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{crawford2020artisanal, author = {Crawford, Alec}, title = {{ARTISANAL AND SMALL-SCALE MINING (ASM) AND COVID-19: RESPONDING TO THE PANDEMIC}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2020}, month = nov, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2020-11/artisanal-small-scale-mining-covid-survey-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }