Food System Resilience during COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Roman Solidarity Purchasing Groups

Simona Tarra, Giampiero Mazzocchi and Davide Marino
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Simona Tarra: Department of Bioscience and Territory, University of Molise, Via Francesco De Sanctis, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
Giampiero Mazzocchi: Department of Policies and Bio-economics, Council for Agricultural Research and the Analysis of Agricultural Economics (CREA), Via Po 14, 00198 Rome, Italy
Davide Marino: Department of Bioscience and Territory, University of Molise, Via Francesco De Sanctis, 86100 Campobasso, Italy

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 2, 1-19

Abstract: The restriction measures linked to the COVID-19 shock suddenly highlighted the vulnerability of most socioeconomic systems, including the food sector. In a context in which the limitation to the movement of people and goods has put the longer and more structured supply chains in serious difficulty, many experiences and initiatives have emerged as viable alternatives. The aim of the research was to understand if and how the Solidarity Purchasing Groups (SPG) of Rome have contributed to the resilience of the food system of the metropolitan city during the lockdown. The research was based on the results of a questionnaire administered to the SPGs of Rome during the first period of the pandemic (April–July 2020), enriched by some in-depth interviews carried out by the authors. What emerged was that, despite the limited extent in terms of products conveyed within the whole food system, the SPGs represented an important food supply channel during the lockdown period, for two main reasons: a greater flexibility and agility in moving and in handling goods and the possibility of remunerating local farms, contributing to the resilience of the local agri-food fabric. The analysis of the results confirms the strong vitality of such Food Movements in Rome and, at the same time, allows for the identification of a series of interventions that the institutions could adopt to favor the spread of a food environment more compatible with more sustainable and fairer forms of food production and distribution.

Keywords: food system; resilience; COVID-19; vulnerability; food security (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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