Preventing COVID19 crisis to become a food crisis
0 likes488 views
The document discusses the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on food security and poverty, emphasizing the need for coordinated global action to support vulnerable countries. It outlines IFAD's response, which includes providing immediate support to ongoing programs, enhancing food security through targeted interventions, and leveraging partnerships for policy responses. Specific actions in Ethiopia include providing vouchers for agricultural inputs, cash-for-work programs, and liquidity support to ensure business continuity and aid rural farmers.
Preventing COVID19 crisis to become a food crisis
- 1. Preventing COVID19 crisis to become a food crisis Ron Hartman, Director, Global Engagement, Partnerships and Resource mobilization, IFAD Ulac Demirag, Hub Director, Ethiopia, East and Southern Africa Division,IFAD
- 2. • COVID19 crisis may undo the progress made to date in reducing poverty (SDG1) and increase food insecurity/hunger (SDG2) • UN Secretary General call for solidarity- coordinated global action to help countries to recover better with focus on most vulnerable countries, leave no one behind. • COVID- 19 crisis is a threat to the development impact of IFAD investments: 200 projects, 100 countries reaching 110 million poor rural people. Preventing a health crisis to turn into food security crisis
- 3. COVID-19 Impact on Target Groups Delayed delivery of project activities and pipeline Reduced access to inputs, services, markets, food Target groups lose income and work opportunities IMPACT Disruption can wipe out impact of IFAD projects Food systems interrupted Rural people impeded from accessing inputs, finance, extension, markets Limits ability of markets to function COVID-19 economic shock
- 4. IFAD’s response to COVID19- 1. Flexibility to immediately support ongoing programmes 2. Additional Targeted interventions to mitigate impact & build resilience 4. IFAD financial longer term response Integrated Response working with governments and partners (UN, IFIs, private sector) 3. Leverage partnerships and support coherent policy response COVID-19 Rural Poor Stimulus Facility
- 5. COVID19 Rural Poor Stimulus Facility : improve food security and resilience Provision of inputs and basic assets for production Inputs and basic assets provided to small-scale farmers to support production, establish fast-maturing alternative agricultural enterprises and weather immediate effects of economic crisis Adapted financial services Digital solutions to sharing information Provision of digital agricultural services to facilitate up-to-date information on production, weather, market prices and other important areas. Delivery of targeted funds through existing finance institutions in IFAD project areas to ensure businesses remain solvent and farmers meet immediate loan repayment requirements Facilitated access to markets Support market access, including logistics and storage support to avoid losses, facilitating transport, and ensuring markets remain open and demand high
- 6. 1. Supply/demand disortions and looming global recession • impact access to credit and inputs, output markets 2. Movement restrictions further compound the challenges 3. Public services impacted due to remote work arrangements( • limited connectivity and electricity outages (affecting projects and their service providers) 4. Official data suggests slow take up of COVID19 and effectiveness of measures taken 5. Focus of IFAD’s response is to: • Advise on adequate measures and Programme continuity and adaptation to the new challenges • Containing the effects on the food system, including on its actors (SMEs, service providers, including rural finance institutions, farmers etc.) • Regional engagement with UN, AU, MDBs to sensitize on threats to food system, advise on measured policy measures, and offer an interface to rural producers IFAD’s networks; COVID 19 Main effects - case of Ethiopia
- 7. Common country analysis (FAO, WFP, ILO, UNIDO, and UNDP) UN Socio- Economic Impact Analysis, appropriate response measures that allow food systems to operate Reprogramming of Programmes’ current work plans for immediate operational response • measures, to ensure business continuity amidst remote working measures, travel restrictions, transportation and procurement challenges etc. Restructuring of projects and reallocation of funds at request of Government, including coordination with partners (i.e. EU) Mobilization of additional resources, leveraging on the above • IFAD’s Rural Poor Stimulus Facility (i.e. Participatory Small-scale Irrigation Development Programme II- key delivery mechanism for the Ministry of Agriculture’s response plan) • Formulation of bankable project (with FAO/UN partners) to help Government mobilize additional resources (i.e. from IFIs, bilateral partners, UN Trust Fund) • Provision of complementary services through linkage with regional grant initiatives (Precision agriculture development, Farm Radio) IFAD’s COVID-19 response in Ethiopia
- 8. • Awareness creation, Safe and Effective Working Environment Farm Radio International (+ 500,000 farmers) 7,500 rural producers supported to collect, store or sell their produces (safety measures /protocols) • Livelihood Support - 2 to 6 months Agricultural inputs’ vouchers for vulnerable households (1,746 FHHs) ; and Cash-for-work vouchers for vulnerable individuals to engage in watershed management activities and nursery site management (1,140 individuals) • Food Supply Chain Support- 3 to 6 months (10,220 rural producers) Access to inputs’ vouchers for smallholder farmers; and Support provided in the form of grants for postharvest handling to link programme clients with markets. • Liquidity provision through the Development Bank of Ethiopia (under the Rural Financial Inclusion Programme), by IFAD & EU Debt relief measures for financial institutions and their clients Liquidity support /Reduced interest rates / => USD 32.7 M (1.5 M clients, 21 MFIs and 120 Rural Savings and Credit Cooperative IFADs COVID 19 response – Ethiopia
- 9. THANK YOU