How can we prevent a COVID-19 food crisis?

The authors warn that COVID-19 is increasing the risk of a global food-price surge, which would disproportionately affect developing countries where food makes up 40-60% of consumption. They identify supply-side pressures including labor shortages due to travel restrictions, disrupted distribution channels, and the impact of climate-induced extreme weather. The text specifically cautions against food protectionism, noting that export bans by countries like Russia, Kazakhstan, India, and Vietnam could trigger a price surge similar to the 2010-11 crisis. The authors call for global policy coordination and extended debt relief to mitigate these risks and prevent social unrest.

• COVID-19 is increasing the risk of a global food-price spike, which would severely impact developing countries where food represents 40-60% of the consumption basket, compared to a much smaller share in advanced economies.
• Supply chain disruptions are being driven by labor shortages caused by cross-border travel restrictions affecting migrant farm workers in the US and India, as well as the need for farmers to shift distribution from wholesale (restaurants, hotels, schools) to grocery and home delivery.
• Food protectionism, such as export bans on grain by Russia and Kazakhstan and rice by India and Vietnam, risks triggering a global price surge similar to 2010-11, when protectionism caused approximately 40% of the wheat price increase and 25% of the maize price increase.
• Pre-existing factors have already strained food security, including climate-change-induced extreme weather, African swine fever which reduced the global pig population by over 25% (increasing Chinese food prices by 15-22% in 2020), and a severe locust blight in East Africa that raised maize prices in Kenya by over 60% since 2019.
• According to Nomura’s Food Vulnerability Index, nearly three-fifths of the world's population live in the 50 countries most vulnerable to sustained food price rises, most of which are developing economies.

APA

Reinhart, C. M., & Zombanakis, M. A. (2020). How can we prevent a COVID-19 food crisis? World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/food-water-air/preventing-a-covid-19-food-crisis/

Chicago

Reinhart, Carmen M., and Minos A. Zombanakis. How can we prevent a COVID-19 food crisis? World Economic Forum, 2020. https://www.weforum.org/stories/food-water-air/preventing-a-covid-19-food-crisis/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Reinhart |first1=Carmen M. |last2=Zombanakis |first2=Minos A. |title=How can we prevent a COVID-19 food crisis? |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=16 May 2020 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/food-water-air/preventing-a-covid-19-food-crisis/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{reinhart2020how, author = {Reinhart, Carmen M. and Zombanakis, Minos A.}, title = {{How can we prevent a COVID-19 food crisis?}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2020}, month = may, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/food-water-air/preventing-a-covid-19-food-crisis/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }