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Understanding the vulnerabilities of local food systems is a key priority as the world is gaining more knowledge and information of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on our food systems. A rapid appraisal carried out by Wageningen University and Research contributes to this emerging understanding of Covid-19 impacts, specifically on perceived Covid-19 control measures and their potential effect on local food systems. »

In this second Newsletter of 2020, the focus is on COVID-19 and other activities of the Food & Business Knowledge Platform (F&BKP), like the CoP Food security and stability, the NL-CGIAR strategy meeting on One CGIAR, a new synthesis paper on African indigenous foods, the winner of the Agrofood Broker 2019 Award, and a new deadline for YEP proposals.  »

In this report, Pepijn Schreinemachers from the World Vegetable Center, and Kanokwan Chodchoey, Steven Layne and Weeranuch Mhadlhoo from the Asia & Pacific Seed Association (APSA) give the results of a survey, which recorded the opinion of seed company managers on how the crisis has affected their business and identified emerging bottlenecks in the seed supply chain. »

The COVID-19 pandemic has a large and decisive impact on public health, and generates major consequences for social relationships, economic development and food systems. In this note, Ivo Demmers and Ruerd Ruben focus on four food system dimensions that are most critical for outlining the (likely) impact of COVID-19 induced changes on agri-food systems’ performance, and outline the main challenges that have to be addressed during the post-COVID-19 recovery period. »

As part of an ongoing study on “Aid transitions in fragility and protracted crisis settings” two quick-scans were produced. The first inventories typologies and frameworks used to design agricultural development programmes in fragile settings. The second captures lessons on market-oriented food security programming in fragile settings. »

What is Market Systems Development, how does it work in fragile settings, and what are lessons from its application in contexts like north Uganda, northeast Nigeria and Syria? This was the central focus of the last meeting of the Community of Practice on food security & stability, held on January 21, 2020. Thirty participants joined the workshop, co-organized with Mercy Corps which shared its experiences with this approach. »