article · World Development Perspectives
An assessment of 1,339 rural households across four western provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reveals substantial short-term disruptions to food security caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Eighty percent of surveyed households faced rising food prices, 61 percent experienced reduced food availability, and 54 percent reported a drop in dietary diversity. Over 70 percent of households consumed fewer cereals, fish, milk, and meat products, or relied more heavily on traditional vegetables. The shock was felt most acutely by female-headed households, poorer households, larger families, and those relying predominantly on crop sales for income. Families with older members and those participating in cooperatives or local associations also experienced notable impacts across multiple food security measures. The findings informed government policy responses aimed at mitigating pandemic shocks and supporting rural resilience.
Major global shocks like pandemics disrupt local food supply chains and household nutrition. Understanding which rural populations suffer the quickest drops in food access and diet quality enables policymakers and development agencies to design timely emergency support. These insights help ensure interventions protect vulnerable groups, including low-income families and female-led households, during unexpected crises.
The abstract does not indicate a direct commercial application pathway. However, the evidence is applied research that directly informs government interventions, agricultural development programmes, and rural relief operations seeking to direct resources to vulnerable demographics.
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Although global assessments of the initial impacts of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have focused on income, jobs, and health conditions, this study constitutes one of the first studies that assessed the impact of COVID-19 on food security in DRC and established the short-term implications of the COVID-19 outbreak on rural households' food security in DRC. In addition, the study recommendations contributed to shaping government interventions toward the pandemic in the Country. The study used data from four western provinces of the country on 1339 households. Our results show that 80 % of households experienced an increase in food prices, 61 % a noticeable decrease in the availability of food, and 54 % a decrease in their dietary diversity. Due to changes in food availability, dietary diversity, and food accessibility imposed by the COVID-19 outbreak, >70 % of households experienced either a decrease in the consumption of meat, milk, fish, and cereals or an increase in their consumption of traditional vegetables. In addition, COVID-19 significantly affected food security dimensions in larger households, households with a greater number of members aged 35 years and above, households headed by women, households where members participate in associations or cooperatives, households that depend on crop sales as the major source of income, and in poorer households. These findings highlight the significant implications of the COVID-19 outbreak on household food security in western DRC and underscore the need for emergency interventions to strengthen the resilience of rural people and accelerate their recovery and other long-term measures toward sustainable and inclusive development.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.wdp.2022.100469
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