COVID-19 ups rural food prices–survey (The Nation)

The Nation (Malawi) published an article about an IFPRI survey, The short-term impacts of COVID-19 on the Malawian economy 2020-2021, that finds that half of the rural population in the country has experienced an increase in food prices for their regular purchases in the past three months. The report, COVID-19 in rural Malawi: Perceived risks and economic impacts, states many rural people have reported limiting the size of their meals while others reported having reduced the number of meals, suggesting a high level of vulnerability. According to the report, “In rural areas, incidence of COVID-19 is low, suggesting that the direct health impacts of the disease are unlikely to be high. But disruptions resulting from national policies as well as people’s behaviors could still drive meaningful economic responses.”