News

Contributed by: Hippolyte Affognon; Yacouba Diallo; Fidélia Bohissou; Abdulai Jalloh; David Akana.

Recently, we discussed how COVID-19 could complicate access to seeds, which are the entry point for agricultural production, and suggested approaches to alleviate the difficulties caused to farmers. In this blog, we discuss how to adapt agricultural production to the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The global pandemic of COVID-19 has already had an impact on the agricultural sector. In addition to its potential effects on health, the threat of COVID-19 could still have serious repercussions on the livelihoods of poor rural farmers, whose main source of income is agriculture.

Beyond the short-term consequences for food supply, agricultural production could suffer if the situation continues and restrictions on free movement continue, which could have a more serious and lasting negative impact on food availability and prices, and ultimately on food security.

The agricultural sector will certainly pay a heavy price for this COVID-19 crisis. This could lead to a change in agricultural production practices, as required by the need for social distancing. May and June mark the start of the invariably labor-intensive sowing season in many countries of the sub-region. Ongoing confinements and associated restrictions on the movement of people and goods, particularly migrant agricultural labor and inputs such as seeds and fertilizers, pose a serious threat to the areas that need to be sown at the right time, a sine qua non for good plant growth and crop productivity. Consequently, the risk of low agricultural production will inevitably lead to increased imports, and food prices could be much higher as a result of rising global demand.

What impact will COVID-19 have on agricultural production?

Agricultural production and productivity in the various countries of the sub-region, which are already low, are likely to be severely affected in the coming months. The effects of COVID-19 on agricultural production could be felt at several levels:

Difficulties in input supply: Producers need quality seeds, fertilizers and pesticides for crop protection against diseases and pests to achieve desired production levels. With the pandemic, supply chains are disrupted globally and even within countries in the sub-region, affecting the import of agricultural inputs from Asia, Europe, North Africa and other regions. If the situation persists, it is likely to be disastrous, since without quality inputs, agricultural productivity and output will decline.

Lack of farm labor: There is a risk that agricultural production will decline as a result of the barrier measures currently being implemented. Farmers are used to helping each other increase production. But with the social distancing measures, each producer will want to stay in his or her own field to minimize contact with others. This will lead to a reduction in the workforce, and consequently a reduction in the area sown, which will have an impact on production. In addition, the closure of borders and restrictions on movement within countries have prevented many young city dwellers from moving to the countryside to support family production during the critical period of labor need. The shortage of seasonal workers could disrupt food production and processing, particularly for labor-intensive crops. What's more, if growers fall ill with COVID-19 or are restricted in their movements, they won't be able to work on their farms.

Pest management during a pandemic: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, some farmers in West Africa and the Sahel were already suffering from a serious invasion of pests such as armyworms, with the added threat of locust invasion already rife in East Africa. COVID-19 has increased the level of risk due to constraints on access to plant pest and disease control products. As a result, farmers are facing a double disaster due to the simultaneous impact of COVID-19 and plant pests and diseases - a combination that could have a negative impact on yield or total crop loss.

Post-harvest food losses: In the uncertain context of the COVID-19 pandemic, matching supply and demand becomes a major problem, mainly due to logistical bottlenecks resulting from blockages and movement restrictions. This is likely to exacerbate the problem of food losses, which was a major issue in food value chains prior to the pandemic. For perishables such as fruit and vegetables, this will lead to losses and wastage that vulnerable farmers simply cannot afford to bear.

Financing the agricultural sector: The growing season is already underway and most producers are looking for resources to support production. Invariably, financiers require collateral, which is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain for financially poor farmers. The threat of low yields and low production will further compromise farmers' chances of obtaining loans based on expected production. In addition, the possible absence of a market to sell produce and repay loans could severely limit access to much-needed loans at the start of the season.

Limitations on advisory and extension services : Travel restrictions and social distancing measures prevent extension agents from carrying out normal agricultural advisory activities and ensuring effective monitoring and data collection during the production season. This affects not only the anticipation of agricultural risks and the projection of production, but also the acquisition of reliable data enabling informed decisions to be made on the food security situation.

Measures proposed to farmers to adapt to the COVID-19 situation

Appropriate mechanization: Appropriate solutions to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on production need to be identified. Emphasis must be placed on appropriate mini-mechanization that will enable farmers to compensate for the lack of manual labor and effectively comply with social distancing. In Africa, the level of mechanization in agriculture is very low. The direct transition from manual cultivation to motorization may pose certain problems of adaptation or loss of certain job categories. Nevertheless, mini-mechanization, where the individual can be the only one to handle the equipment, avoiding all contact and respecting social distancing, can help prevent COVID-19 contamination during production operations. In addition, the mechanism of joint operation of heavy farm equipment (tractor, thresher, combine, etc.) through fee-for-service, rental and other rotational service approaches, could go a long way towards alleviating labor problems. Networks of phytosanitary brigades equipped to treat farms on a fee-for-service basis can be beneficial in offering services to farmers who do not have the necessary equipment or adequate manpower.

Access to agricultural inputs: Technical training, animation and coaching of grassroots producer organizations such as groups, cooperatives and cooperative unions should be encouraged and supported. In addition, governments and development partners should support the distribution of inputs to vulnerable farmers. In addition, input dealers, as well as extension agents, should receive basic health education on COVID-19, while facilitating their movement in rural areas. These agents could also be involved in educating farmers about basic hygiene related to COVID-19 in rural areas.

Post-harvest management: To mitigate post-harvest losses, farmers need to improve their on-farm storage capacity with improved granaries and other means of hermetic storage, principally the triple-bottom or triple-bag technology recommended for protecting cereal and other seeds from post-harvest losses due to insect attack.

The provision of advisory and extension services : Agricultural advisory activities and monitoring of the production season need to be continued in a different form, giving priority to distance work using new information and communication technologies where possible, and also through mini-videos that can be broadcast on cell phones, brochures, posters, and TV and radio programs.

CORAF will continue to facilitate the dissemination of available technologies for greater impact on farmers' productivity and socio-economic well-being in the sub-region. The West African Agricultural Productivity Program has generated over 200 improved and high-yield agricultural technologies to facilitate and improve the lives of many farmers in the region.

Read also:

• COVID-19 has further complicated access to quality seeds; experts suggest solutions to ease the burden on growers
• Forecasts for 2020 point to a shortfall in certified seeds
• A new turning point for agricultural research and development in Benin?