Covid-19 et Sécurité Alimentaire en Afrique Subsaharienne : Implications et Mesures Proactives d’Atténuation des Risques de Malnutrition et de Famine

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic is a pandemic of an emerging infectious disease, 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19), caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The countries of sub-Saharan Africa affected by the Covid-19 pandemic are increasingly confronted with the decline in raw materials and the fall in international trade. The essential protective measures recommended by the WHO (2020) to limit the spread of Coronavirus (Covid-19) characterized, among other things, by the suppression movement, quarantine, containment, closing of the borders are driving down household productivity. Disruptions in trade and in local food supply chains are already affecting the well-being of the households, food security and nutrition among importing countries. Food prices are going up, especially nutritious food. Hunger and malnutrition will increase as the livelihoods of the poor are affected. Not yet having a universally accepted treatment for Covid-19, it is necessary to have information on the nutritional resources which will make it possible to boost the immune system of vulnerable populations in the fight against COVID-19 in a context of food insecurity. This document outlines proactive measures to prevent the risks of malnutrition and starvation linked to the Covid-19 pandemic and describes the macronutrient and micronutrient composition of some foods. These measures relate to a healthy and balanced diet, the improvement of food hygiene, the intensification of agricultural and agro-food production, the improvement of culinary and gastronomic practices, the improvement of nutrition governance and food security in affected sub-Saharan African countries.