The COVID-19 pandemic is substantially affecting smallholder producers’ access to markets. Immediate impacts tend to be more severe for high-value commodities (perishable products), which are often produced by smallholder farmers. Several countries are putting in place a variety of measures to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on smallholder producers.
This policy brief aims to inform policymakers on options for mitigating the effects of the lockdown on food and agriculture, with attention to smallholders’ access to markets. It builds on lessons learned in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone during the 2014 Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic and during the 2007–2008 global food prices volatility crisis. It also analyses the initial challenges and responses by the countries that were affected at the early stages of the outbreak. The restriction measures adopted to limit the propagation of the EVD epidemic (closing weekly markets, closing borders, Ebola checkpoints on roads) caused disruption in agricultural market chains and trade. The biggest impact was related to disruptions in collecting and transporting agricultural products to areas of consumption. The most affected stakeholders in the EVD epidemic were those in long value chains, more labour and input-intensive value chains, value chains with weak market diversification, and value chains involving perishable products.