Food insecurity and perceived effects of COVID-19 on livelihoods in rural Sri Lanka

Background: Little is known about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected food security and livelihoods in Sri Lanka. Objective: This article aims to assess food insecurity, perceived effects of COVID-19, and coping mechanisms among agriculture-based households in rural Sri Lanka. Methods: We used 2...

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Autores principales: Singh, Nishmeet, Scott, Samuel P., Kumar, Neha, Ramani, Gayathri V., Marshall, Quinn, Sinclair, Kate, Kalupahana, Saman, Fernando, Malika, Silva, Renuka, Perera, Amila, Jayatissa, Renuka, Olney, Deanna K.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: SAGE Publications 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/171518
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author Singh, Nishmeet
Scott, Samuel P.
Kumar, Neha
Ramani, Gayathri V.
Marshall, Quinn
Sinclair, Kate
Kalupahana, Saman
Fernando, Malika
Silva, Renuka
Perera, Amila
Jayatissa, Renuka
Olney, Deanna K.
author_browse Fernando, Malika
Jayatissa, Renuka
Kalupahana, Saman
Kumar, Neha
Marshall, Quinn
Olney, Deanna K.
Perera, Amila
Ramani, Gayathri V.
Scott, Samuel P.
Silva, Renuka
Sinclair, Kate
Singh, Nishmeet
author_facet Singh, Nishmeet
Scott, Samuel P.
Kumar, Neha
Ramani, Gayathri V.
Marshall, Quinn
Sinclair, Kate
Kalupahana, Saman
Fernando, Malika
Silva, Renuka
Perera, Amila
Jayatissa, Renuka
Olney, Deanna K.
author_sort Singh, Nishmeet
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Background: Little is known about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected food security and livelihoods in Sri Lanka. Objective: This article aims to assess food insecurity, perceived effects of COVID-19, and coping mechanisms among agriculture-based households in rural Sri Lanka. Methods: We used 2 rounds of panel data from phone surveys (n = 1057 households) conducted in 5 districts. Food insecurity (30-day recall), perceived impacts of COVID-19 (6-month recall), and coping mechanisms (6-month recall) were assessed using a household questionnaire. To assess food insecurity, we used the 8-item Food Insecurity Experience Scale. We tested for differences between T1 (baseline: December 2020-February 2021) and T2 (follow-up: July 2021-September 2021) and explored the association between food insecurity and the perceived effect of COVID-19 on income using a logistic regression model. Results: Food insecurity was highly prevalent (T1: 75%, T2: 80%) but varied across districts. Most respondents were affected by COVID-19 and/or COVID-19-associated mitigation measures (T1: 84%, T2: 89%). Among affected households, commonly reported impacts included those on income (T1: 77%, T2: 76%), food costs (T1: 84%, T2: 83%), and travel (∼90% in both rounds). Agricultural activities were also adversely affected (T1: 64%, T2: 69%). About half of COVID-19-affected households reported selling livestock or assets to meet basic needs. Households whose income was impacted by COVID-19 were more likely to be food insecure (adjusted odds ratio: 2.56, P < .001). Conclusions: Households in rural Sri Lanka experienced food insecurity and livelihood disturbances during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional surveys are needed to assess recovery post-COVID-19 and to understand if programs that support livelihoods have been protective.
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spelling CGSpace1715182025-09-02T17:44:31Z Food insecurity and perceived effects of COVID-19 on livelihoods in rural Sri Lanka Singh, Nishmeet Scott, Samuel P. Kumar, Neha Ramani, Gayathri V. Marshall, Quinn Sinclair, Kate Kalupahana, Saman Fernando, Malika Silva, Renuka Perera, Amila Jayatissa, Renuka Olney, Deanna K. agriculture food insecurity orthocoronavirinae covid-19 households livelihoods rural areas Background: Little is known about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected food security and livelihoods in Sri Lanka. Objective: This article aims to assess food insecurity, perceived effects of COVID-19, and coping mechanisms among agriculture-based households in rural Sri Lanka. Methods: We used 2 rounds of panel data from phone surveys (n = 1057 households) conducted in 5 districts. Food insecurity (30-day recall), perceived impacts of COVID-19 (6-month recall), and coping mechanisms (6-month recall) were assessed using a household questionnaire. To assess food insecurity, we used the 8-item Food Insecurity Experience Scale. We tested for differences between T1 (baseline: December 2020-February 2021) and T2 (follow-up: July 2021-September 2021) and explored the association between food insecurity and the perceived effect of COVID-19 on income using a logistic regression model. Results: Food insecurity was highly prevalent (T1: 75%, T2: 80%) but varied across districts. Most respondents were affected by COVID-19 and/or COVID-19-associated mitigation measures (T1: 84%, T2: 89%). Among affected households, commonly reported impacts included those on income (T1: 77%, T2: 76%), food costs (T1: 84%, T2: 83%), and travel (∼90% in both rounds). Agricultural activities were also adversely affected (T1: 64%, T2: 69%). About half of COVID-19-affected households reported selling livestock or assets to meet basic needs. Households whose income was impacted by COVID-19 were more likely to be food insecure (adjusted odds ratio: 2.56, P < .001). Conclusions: Households in rural Sri Lanka experienced food insecurity and livelihood disturbances during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional surveys are needed to assess recovery post-COVID-19 and to understand if programs that support livelihoods have been protective. 2023 2025-01-29T12:58:17Z 2025-01-29T12:58:17Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/171518 en Open Access SAGE Publications Singh, Nishmeet; Scott, Samuel; Kumar, Neha; Ramani, Gayathri; Marshall, Quinn; Sinclair, Kate; Olney, Deanna; et al. Food insecurity and perceived effects of COVID-19 on livelihoods in rural Sri Lanka. Food and Nutrition Bulletin 44(4): 229–239. https://doi.org/10.1177/037957212311972
spellingShingle agriculture
food insecurity
orthocoronavirinae
covid-19
households
livelihoods
rural areas
Singh, Nishmeet
Scott, Samuel P.
Kumar, Neha
Ramani, Gayathri V.
Marshall, Quinn
Sinclair, Kate
Kalupahana, Saman
Fernando, Malika
Silva, Renuka
Perera, Amila
Jayatissa, Renuka
Olney, Deanna K.
Food insecurity and perceived effects of COVID-19 on livelihoods in rural Sri Lanka
title Food insecurity and perceived effects of COVID-19 on livelihoods in rural Sri Lanka
title_full Food insecurity and perceived effects of COVID-19 on livelihoods in rural Sri Lanka
title_fullStr Food insecurity and perceived effects of COVID-19 on livelihoods in rural Sri Lanka
title_full_unstemmed Food insecurity and perceived effects of COVID-19 on livelihoods in rural Sri Lanka
title_short Food insecurity and perceived effects of COVID-19 on livelihoods in rural Sri Lanka
title_sort food insecurity and perceived effects of covid 19 on livelihoods in rural sri lanka
topic agriculture
food insecurity
orthocoronavirinae
covid-19
households
livelihoods
rural areas
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/171518
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