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Food system resilience in times of pandemics
Complementary Medicine Research ; 28(SUPPL 1):5, 2021.
Article in English | EMBASE | ID: covidwho-1745616
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 was first detected as a human disease in late-2019 and then spread very quickly to all parts of the world, rich and poor. The number of people infected globally and the death toll skyrocketed during 2020 and continues to rise. In addition to the people directly affected by the disease, many more are affected indirectly through the lockdown measures implemented in many countries, the resulting economic downturn, and associated losses of jobs and income-earning opportunities. Especially in poor countries, where social safety nets hardly exist, poverty and food insecurity are on the rise, reversing the positive development trends observed during the last few decades. Preliminary projections based on global economic outlooks suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic may add around 100 million people to the ranks of the undernourished in the short and medium run, making achievement of the zero hunger goal by 2030 rather unlikely. This lecture will review projected global trends in hunger and undernutrition and analyze the main reasons for people's worsened access to nutritious foods and healthy diets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Case-study examples from various countries will be presented. Furthermore, important lessons to be learned on how to make local and global foods systems more resilient and be better prepared for possible future pandemics will be discussed. It will be shown that popular calls - such as focusing on regional production and reducing international food trade - may actually be counterproductive. More diverse, efficient, and open food systems and a stronger focus on poverty reduction and social safety nets will be required to address the various challenges ahead, including climate change, possible future pandemics, and continued population growth.
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Full text: Available Collection: Databases of international organizations Database: EMBASE Language: English Journal: Complementary Medicine Research Year: 2021 Document Type: Article

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Full text: Available Collection: Databases of international organizations Database: EMBASE Language: English Journal: Complementary Medicine Research Year: 2021 Document Type: Article