Food insecurity and perceived effects of COVID-19 on livelihoods in rural Sri Lanka

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cg.contributor.crpAgriculture for Nutrition and Health
cg.contributor.donorUnited Nationsen
cg.contributor.donorWorld Food Programmeen
cg.contributor.donorCGIAR Trust Funden
cg.coverage.countrySri Lanka
cg.coverage.iso3166-alpha2LK
cg.coverage.regionSouthern Asia
cg.coverage.regionAsia
cg.creator.identifierDeanna Olney: 0000-0002-2420-8565en
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1177/037957212311972en
cg.isijournalISI Journalen
cg.issn0379-5721en
cg.issue4en
cg.journalFood and Nutrition Bulletinen
cg.reviewStatusPeer Reviewen
cg.volume44en
dc.contributor.authorSingh, Nishmeeten
dc.contributor.authorScott, Samuel P.en
dc.contributor.authorKumar, Nehaen
dc.contributor.authorRamani, Gayathri V.en
dc.contributor.authorMarshall, Quinnen
dc.contributor.authorSinclair, Kateen
dc.contributor.authorKalupahana, Samanen
dc.contributor.authorFernando, Malikaen
dc.contributor.authorSilva, Renukaen
dc.contributor.authorPerera, Amilaen
dc.contributor.authorJayatissa, Renukaen
dc.contributor.authorOlney, Deanna K.en
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-29T12:58:17Zen
dc.date.available2025-01-29T12:58:17Zen
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/171518
dc.titleFood insecurity and perceived effects of COVID-19 on livelihoods in rural Sri Lankaen
dcterms.abstractBackground: 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 agriculture-based households in rural Sri Lanka. Methods: We used 2 rounds of panel data from phone surveys (n = 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 < .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.en
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
dcterms.bibliographicCitationSingh, Nishmeet; Scott, Samuel; Kumar, Neha; Ramani, Gayathri; Marshall, Quinn; Sinclair, Kate; Olney, Deanna; et al. Food insecurity and perceived effects of COVID-19 on livelihoods in rural Sri Lanka. Food and Nutrition Bulletin 44(4): 229–239. https://doi.org/10.1177/037957212311972en
dcterms.issued2023en
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseCC-BY-4.0
dcterms.publisherSAGE Publicationsen
dcterms.subjectagricultureen
dcterms.subjectfood insecurityen
dcterms.subjectorthocoronavirinaeen
dcterms.subjectcovid-19en
dcterms.subjecthouseholdsen
dcterms.subjectlivelihoodsen
dcterms.subjectrural areasen
dcterms.typeJournal Article

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