Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Farmers and Their Responses: A Study of Three Farming Systems in Kerala, South India

Anamika Menon,Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt

doi:10.3390/land11010144

Anamika Menon, Dietrich Schmidt-Vogt

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/land11010144

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Abstract

Particularly in countries with an agrarian economy, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought hardships faced by farmers into sharp focus. One of the most badly hit countries was India. This study aims to bring to light the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the livelihoods of farmers in three farming systems (coffee farming, Kole wetland paddy farming, and homestead farming) in the southern Indian state of Kerala. We collected the data using telephone interviews and studied the impacts (economic, social, institutional) of the pandemic on the selected farming systems, the responses of farmers (short and long term) to these impacts, and the ability of farmers to secure their livelihoods (by analyzing resilience capacities and transforming structures and processes of the farming systems). The methodological framework used was developed based on the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach and the Resilience Framework. We found significant impacts on the three studied farming systems due to COVID-19. As the impacts, responses, and ability to secure livelihoods varied across the three farming systems, we concluded that there is not a single solution that could be prescribed for all farming systems and that each land use system must be treated individually.

Highlights

COVID-19 caused by the SARS COV-2 virus was declared a global pandemic by theWorld Health Organisation (WHO) on 11 March 2020
On the basis of the interviews that we had conducted, we prepared a demographic profile of the respondents, assessed the impacts of the pandemic on the different farming systems and the responses of farmers to these impacts, and analysed the ability of farmers to secure their livelihoods under the conditions of the pandemic
It was found that in coffee farming, those who had storage facilities were able to store their beans for longer periods, whereas others had to settle with selling for lower prices

Summary

Introduction

COVID-19 caused by the SARS COV-2 virus was declared a global pandemic by theWorld Health Organisation (WHO) on 11 March 2020. COVID-19 caused by the SARS COV-2 virus was declared a global pandemic by the. People employed in the informal sectors in many countries around the world saw their incomes significantly reduced or disappear. In the first wave of the pandemic, 10 million people were infected, with around 150,000 deaths [2]. This figure does not include people who died due to the indirect impacts of the pandemic, such as loss of jobs and food insecurity. India saw the single largest drop in GDP in the country’s history. From April to June 2020, India’s GDP slumped by 24.4% [3]

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