COVID-19 Lockdown, Food Systems and Urban–Rural Partnership: Case of Nagpur, India

Vibhas Sukhwani, Sameer Deshkar and Rajib Shaw
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Vibhas Sukhwani: Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Kanagawa Prefecture 252-0882, Japan
Sameer Deshkar: Department of Architecture and Planning, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT), Maharashtra 440010, India
Rajib Shaw: Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Kanagawa Prefecture 252-0882, Japan

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 16, 1-23

Abstract: The globally fast-spreading novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is now testing the abilities of all countries to manage its widespread implications on public health. To effectively contain its impacts, a nation-wide temporary lockdown was enforced in India. The resultant panic buying and stockpiling incidents together with spread of misinformation created a sense of food insecurity at local level. This paper discusses a specific case of Nagpur from the worst affected Maharashtra state of India, wherein the urban–rural food supply chains were reportedly disrupted. Based on formal interviews with local government officials, a month-long timeline of COVID-19 outbreak in Nagpur was studied along with the consequent government initiatives for maintaining public health and food supply. While the city residents were confined to their homes, this study then assessed their perceived food security at household level, along with their “Immediate Concerns” and “Key Information Sources”. Through online surveys at two different time intervals, the concerns of “Food and Grocery” were found to be rising, and “Government Apps and Websites” were identified as the most reliable source of information. Based on the research findings, the authors further suggest specific policy recommendations for addressing the immediate and long-term concerns related to food systems in Nagpur.

Keywords: COVID-19; lockdown; food systems; food security; supply chain; urban–rural (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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