May 2020, East Asia
Five ways organizations can help countries build agile and inclusive responses to COVID-19
ELIZABETH SSENDIWALA  and MARIE-AUDE EVEN

Much has already been written on the impact of COVID-19 on agriculture, especially in rural areas. Social distancing has disrupted farmers’ access to inputs, services and markets. Many rural households have lost crucial off-farm income sources. Estimates have suggested that more devastating impacts are still to come, with the loss of tens of millions of jobs around the globe and half a billion people at risk of falling (back) into poverty.

Yet, challenges and opportunities are different in different places, for different food products and for different people. They can also change daily, in response to local circumstances, and throughout the cropping season. How, then, can we enhance local capacity to respond to this emergency in an agile and inclusive manner?

The experience of the Ebola crisis in 2015 and early lessons from China’s response to COVID-19 show that it is crucial to establish strong communication and institutional mechanisms between stakeholders, and to quickly identify and address emerging issues. Here, we’ve listed 5 key steps that organizations can take to help countries build these mechanisms. Although we’ve drawn heavily from our experiences in the Asia-Pacific region, these actions are applicable worldwide.