Safeguarding food systems in Southeast Asia amid COVID-19

Safeguarding food systems is critical to avoid greater catastrophes. However, situations differ from country to country. Some countries have more COVID-19 cases than the others. Measures imposed by governments, e.g., lockdown and social distancing coupled with unemployment and return of people to rural areas, make it extremely difficult to maintain well-functioning food systems in the region that is home to over 655 million people. This brief focuses on three broad questions related to food systems in Southeast Asia: (i) What are the main challenges for the food systems from the COVID-19 pandemic? (ii) How can we safeguard food systems in the short- and long-term?, and (iii) What policy measures should be taken to protect food systems?