book chapter

COVID-19 lockdowns threaten Africa’s vital informal urban food trade

by Danielle Resnick

COVID-19 and global food security | 2020 | Pages: 2

Publisher(s): international food policy research institute (ifpri)

DOI : https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.133762_16

Open Access | CC BY-4.0

Citation

Resnick, Danielle. 2020. COVID-19 lockdowns threaten Africa’s vital informal urban food trade. In COVID-19 and global food security, eds. Johan Swinnen and John McDermott. Part Four: Food trade, Chapter 16, Pp. 73-74. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.133762_16

As COVID-19 begins its spread across Africa, concerns are growing about how the pandemic will affect the region’s already fragile food systems, especially in densely packed cities. Much of the region’s urban population works in the informal sector — many in wet markets and as street vendors — and depends on it for food, so lockdowns and other social distancing measures could pose major problems both for consumers and workers.