Twin challenges of COVID-19 pandemic and climate change for agriculture and food security in South Asia

Abstract

South Asia is one of the most densely populated regions in the world. With 5% of the global agricultural land, South Asian farmers have to feed over 20% of the global population. South Asia is also one of the poorest regions in the word with about one-third of the world's poor living in this region. Climate change has become a pressing issue in south Asia ravaging agriculture and threatening food security. Climate change is affecting the fundamental basis of agriculture through changes in temperature, rainfall and weather, and by intensifying the occurrences of floods, droughts and heat stress. Like climate change, a pandemic is a global risk. The novel Corona virus (COVID-19) has further disrupted many activities in agriculture and supply chains in South Asia, further compounding the challenges of food and nutrition security and sustaining livelihoods. South Asian farmers are now facing double challenges of addressing the impacts of changing climate and managing the disruption arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. The unprecedented challenge posed by the COVID-19 requires very urgent and decisive actions to ensure food and nutrition security and save people's lives and livelihoods. Regional and global cooperation are also necessary to address the ripple effects of COVID-19 and climate change. South Asian countries must act collectively to share experiences and improve the disrupted agriculture supply chain. Strategies and approaches are needed to address both the coronavirus and climate crises. Currently, there is a unique opportunity to use the disruptive forces of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated recovery policies to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable and resilient food systems. Some of the short-term support to address COVID-19 challenges can be linked to long-term sustainable food production by investing in natural capital to improve long-term productivity and resilience.