COVID-19, LOCKDOWN AND TRANSITORY FOOD INSECURITY IN NIGERIA

Abstract

How did a health crisis camouflage to food crisis? Why did the spread of Covid-19 bring transitory food insecurity? Is lockdown order effective for us? The answer lied in two paradigms by which coronavirus stifled economic activities. First, the spread of the virus encouraged social distancing which led to the shutdown of food markets, restaurants, businesses, events centres and countries borders. Secondly, the pandemic nature of how the virus was spreading and the heightened uncertainty about how bad the situation could get to be. This research empirically focus on the implication of Covid-19 and lockdown on food security in Nigeria, as being food secure is one of the fundamental indices for development in a stable and growing economy and the nation at large. The finding reveals that the more stressful number of lockdown days and inter-states-countries movement restrictions the more it severely affect the level of economic (food prices skyrocket, increase in transport cost, hoardings by marketers, increase in postharvest lost at both farm and market levels, low purchasing power by household etc.) with adverse effect on food security. However, Palliatives measures such as food assistance and cash transfer measures should be adopted by government and other donors so as to reduce such momentum effect. If not are you expecting people that are living below 2 dollar per day to embrace the mandatory lockdown for good? Don’t you think Covid-19 could have long-term implications on us?