Food security challenges for Pakistan during COVID‐19 pandemic: An overview of the response plan

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has imparted a significant impact on the global economic conditions. The food security status in the developing and under-developed countries is getting worse with the progression of the pandemic. According to the World Food Program (WFP), 271.8 million people were acutely food insecure due to the destructive impact of COVID-19 pandemic across the world. Similarly, around 20%–30% population of Pakistan, that is, 40–62 million people, has been suffering from acute food insecurity due to the pandemic, and other socio-economic and environmental/climatic issues. The highly vulnerable groups include daily wage class, refugees, and people living in drought-affected areas, locust-affected areas and areas with winterized emergency. The COVID-19 response plan of Pakistan aimed at improving the food security situation and protecting the livelihood of the demographic groups highly vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic through defining the implementing the policy for ensuring the uninterrupted food production and supply chain, integrating the food production system into the COVID-19 relief packages, adopting innovative practices to enhance the functionality of food supply chain market, and treatment of acutely malnourished and groups affected by food insecurity. Accordingly, this opinion-based article reports the food security challenges faced in Pakistan in the COVID-19 era and explicates the government policies for stabilizing the functionality of agri-food systems in Pakistan.

Keywords: Agri‐food system, COVID‐19, Food Security, Malnutrition, Response Plan