The spread of COVID-19, and the range of policy responses to contain the pandemic, have exerted wide-ranging effects on agri-food systems and livelihoods. To analyze the direct and indirect impacts of these responses in a comparative way, the COVID-19 Policy Response (CPR) Portal systematically captured throughout 2020 the policy responses pursued by governments, including population restrictions, social protection, trade, health, fiscal, and monetary measures. The Portal also provides information on the different types of institutional collaboration governments have used to manage the pandemic, as well as different degrees of citizen compliance. Many responses to COVID-19 have centered on cities or have been spatially differentiated in federal and more devolved country settings. Consequently, CPR includes details at the subnational level as well where relevant.

The CPR was led by IFPRI’s country and regional programs and supported by the Food Security Group of Michigan State University and its country offices, by the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy Research, Capacity, and Influence, and by partner national institutions across the world. By bringing together the insights from our experts in-country, we hope to offer information for governments, donors, and researchers about which policies best work for fostering resilience and keeping food systems working during crises. To be comprehensive, we also drew on and cite other policy initiatives where appropriate, including from the ACLED Covid-19 Disorder Events Tracker, the IMF, the FAO, and ACAPS. The full and final dataset for 2020 is available for download here.