Viewpoint: After COVID-19, a Rural Revolution Can Drive Sustainable Recovery
Like our ancestors, we must learn to heed the call of the land, the rhythm of the seasons, the social bonds that hold us together. Developed nations and the developing world must value their farmers, healers and teachers. This virus has shaken the very foundations of our societies. How we build on those foundations is up to all of us.
In developing countries in particular, where the collapse in commodity prices, tourism and remittances has already had a devastating impact, the virus has exposed a genuine threat to food security through its disruption of international supply chains. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) found that the pandemic will significantly increase risks to food security and hinder humanitarian assistance operations. Even before the virus struck, at the end of 2019 the Global Network Against Food Crises found that 135 million people across 55 countries and territories experienced acute food insecurity.
Photo courtesy of Nandhu Kumar.
Source: World Economic Forum (link opens in a new window)
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