COVID-19, Food Security, Food Prices and Urban-rural Interrelationship for Sustainable Food and Nutritional Security: A Study on Dhaka City

Abstract

Currently the world is facing a phenomenon, a fast-spreading disease named ‘2019 Novel Coronavirus’(COVID-19). It has spread approximately 215 countries around the world and is affecting the health and economic condition widely. To effectively control the situation nationwide lockdown was implemented in Bangladesh following WHO’s instructions. That lead to nationwide panic buying, stockpiling, circulation of misinformation and a sense of food insecurity at local level. Most of the people of Bangladesh depends on agricultural sector and this pandemic created severe crisis for this sector. The magnitude of the crisis fluctuates from place to place in Bangladesh. This study focuses on the specific case of capital city Dhaka which is the most affected area and where the farmer consumer alliance was reportedly disrupted and panic stockpiling was highest. Based on formal interviews with local government officials, the situation of urban-rural food transfer and the consequent government initiatives for maintaining food supply and public health was studied. Then this paper assessed the perceived food security of participants, price at local market level along with online surveys while the city residents were under partial lockdown during pandemic. The study founded that the food insecurity was increased and respondent reported some basic foods prices were higher than usual. Also, the farmer consumer alliance was greatly hampered because of economic shutdown with the restriction of travel which has created an imbalance between demand and supply of food. It also detected that day laborer, marginal and poor people, vulnerable women and children are mostly affected. These findings have policy implication both at farmer and ultimate consumer level addressing the short term and long-term factors, related to food security, price and farmer consumer alliance in Bangladesh.