IFAD

“We needed an alternative. We thought that, since we are young and open to new farming technologies, we should try hydroponics,” Stephen Kamau says.

The women are busier than ever, in fact, because of people rushing to stock up and the resulting increased demand for staple foods.

To avoid a great deal of suffering in the region, governments, civil society and international organizations must stand together to face this crisis.

More urbanized areas may be harder hit than remote rural areas if connectivity remains broken down, as most food is produced in rural and semi-rural areas.

The effects that COVID-19 has on people fall into three general categories: economic effects, social effects, and the direct impact of the virus itself.

What we don’t see are the small-scale producers working in remote areas far from the cameras, who continue to grow food that is critical for national food security...

Obviously, low-income countries would have limited fiscal space to implement safety nets that could reduce the impact of COVID-19 on the most vulnerable

Local traditional knowledge is a key resource of this approach, allowing communities to adapt climate change mitigation to a very small scale, based on their local needs.

These witness statements show that climate change challenges can be successfully overcome and that the ongoing effort to overcome these challenges is paying off.

Most rural farmers in Guinea-Bissau depend on cashews as their primary source of income, selling their yields in exchange for imported rice.