TY - JOUR
AU - Singh, Nishmeet
AU - Scott, Samuel
AU - Kumar, Neha
AU - Ramani, Gayathri
AU - Marshall, Quinn
AU - Sinclair, Kate
AU - Kalupahana, Saman
AU - Fernando, Malika
AU - Silva, Renuka
AU - Perera, Amila
AU - Jayatissa, Renuka
AU - Olney, Deanna
PY - 2023
DA - September
TI - Food insecurity and perceived effects of COVID-19 on livelihoods in rural Sri Lanka
JO - Food & Nutrition Bulletin
DO - https://doi.org/10.1177/03795721231197249
AB - 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 agriculturebased households in rural Sri Lanka. Methods: We used 2 rounds of panel data from phone surveys (n ¼ 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 &lt; .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.
PB - SAGE Publications
UR - https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/publications/34713af8-a84e-4afb-b9df-e3d388dad316
KW - Coronavirus (COVID-19)
KW - Diet, healthy weight and physical activity
ER