Impacted Populations

Impact of the Covid 19 Virus (introduction) Hundreds of thousands of firms are on the verge of going out of business. Nearly half of the world’s 3.3 billion workers are at risk of losing their employment, according to estimates. Workers in the informal economy are especially vulnerable because they lack access to social safety nets and high-quality health care, as well as the ability to access productive assets. Because they cannot generate an income, many people are unable to provide for themselves and their families during lockdowns. For the vast majority of individuals, not having enough money means going without food, or at the very least eating less healthful food.

What impact has Covid had on the global population?

The epidemic has had a broad influence on the food system as a whole, revealing its intrinsic fragility in the process. Farmers and agricultural workers have been unable to access markets, including for the purchase of inputs and the sale of their produce, due to border closures, trade restrictions, and confinement measures, resulting in the disruption of domestic and international food supply chains, as well as a reduction in access to healthy, safe, and diverse diets for all. The pandemic has wiped out job possibilities and placed millions of people’s lives in jeopardy. Millions of women and men’s food security and nutrition are jeopardised as breadwinners lose their jobs, become ill, or die, with those in low-income countries, particularly marginalised populations like small-scale farmers and indigenous peoples, facing the brunt of the effects.

Millions of agricultural workers – both salaried and self-employed – face high levels of working poverty, starvation, and poor health, as well as a lack of safety and labour protection, as well as other forms of exploitation, in the process of feeding the world. Low and inconsistent pay, combined with a lack of social support, encourages many of them to continue working, frequently in dangerous conditions, endangering themselves and their families. Furthermore, when faced with a loss of income, individuals may use negative coping mechanisms to supplement their income, such as distressed sales of items, predatory loans, or child labour. Migrant agricultural labourers are particularly vulnerable because they face dangers in their commuting, working, and living environments, as well as challenges in obtaining government-sponsored help and support programmes. Increased salaries and benefits for all agri-food workers, from primary farmers to those involved in food processing, transportation, and retail (including street food sellers), will be important in saving lives, protecting livelihoods, and ensuring food security.

In the COVID-19 situation, there is a convergence of worries regarding the population’s food security as well as public health and employment issues, particularly worker health and safety. Adherence to occupational safety and health standards, as well as access to decent work and the protection of labour rights in all industries, will be important in addressing the human dimension of the crisis. Extending social security to include universal health coverage and income support for the most vulnerable should be one of the first and most deliberate steps done to save lives and livelihoods. This category includes employees in the informal economy, as well as those in poorly protected and low-paying occupations, such as youth, old workers, and migrants. Because women are overrepresented in low-wage professions and caregiving roles, their employment and caregiving demands must be given specific attention. Cash transfers, child allowances, healthy school lunches, as well as programmes to give shelter and food aid, employment retention and recovery help, and financial assistance to businesses, especially micro, small, and medium-sized firms, are all needed. When formulating and implementing such rules, governments need to work closely with firms and employees.

What influence has Covid had on you?

The Pew Research Center has been conducting polls on Americans’ thoughts and reactions to the COVID-19 outbreak for the past year. In August, we gave people the chance to tell us how the pandemic has affected their lives in their own words. We wanted to know how their lives had changed for the better or for the worse over that time, as well as any unexpected positive events that occurred.

A huge majority of Americans (89%) indicated they had gone through at least one negative change in their lives, while a smaller percentage (but still a majority of 73%) claimed they had gone through at least one positive change. The majority of people have experienced both negative and pleasant consequences simultaneously: Two-thirds of Americans (67%) have seen at least one negative and one good change since the pandemic began.

How did we pull it off?

The disadvantages dominate the positives in many ways, which is expected given that the pandemic had killed over 180,000 Americans at the time the survey was conducted. In every major area of life indicated in these responses, a higher number of participants cited a negative influence than an unanticipated advantage. Americans went into greater detail about the epidemic’s negative effects: negative remarks were on average lengthier than positive answers (27 vs. 19 words). Despite the hardships and obstacles faced by the pandemic, the majority of Americans were able to discover at least one silver lining.

Conclusion

As noted in the United Nations Secretary-Policy General’s Brief, we must recognise this opportunity to rebuild better. We are committed to using our skills and experience to support governments in their crisis response efforts as well as their attempts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. To address the difficulties that the health and agri-food industries are facing today, we must develop long-term, sustainable policies. In the coming years, addressing underlying food security and malnutrition issues, addressing rural poverty, in particular by creating more and better jobs in the rural economy, extending social protection to all, facilitating safe migration pathways, and encouraging formalisation of the informal economy should all be given top priority.

We must think about the future of our environment and take aggressive and determined action against climate change and environmental deterioration as soon as feasible. Only in this way will we be able to protect everyone’s health, livelihoods, food security, and nutrition, as well as ensure a more positive “new normal.”