COVID-19 lockdowns and associated shocks: Lessons from farming households’ resilience to food and nutrition insecurity in Cameroon

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic posed multifaceted threats to global economies. The lockdowns were exogenous threats to economic activities. This study uses the case of farming households in Cameroon to explore the association between households’ resilience and food and nutrition insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Focus group discussions (FDGs) were conducted to identify the different COVID-19-related shocks and the response strategies implemented by farming households. Information from the FGDs was then exploited to design survey questionnaires. A multistage random sampling procedure identified 249 farming households for an in-depth study. Through econometric modelling techniques, we reveal that COVID-19 shocks adversely affected farming households’ food and nutrition security and reduced households’ resilience capacity. However, existing adaptive capacity and access to basic services significantly contributed to farming households’ resilience. Female-headed and semi-urban farming households were more resilient than male-headed and rural households to COVID-19 shocks. We recommend that policies and interventions that target the enhancement of farming households’ adaptive capacity and improving their access to basic services would be essential for preparedness, response, and swift recovery from unanticipated systemic shocks such as COVID-19.