SOUTH SUDAN: Coronavirus Increasing Risk of Severe Food Crisis, CRS Warns
Catholic Radio Network
The COVID-19 pandemic is increasing the risk of a severe food crisis in desert locust, flooding, drought and conflict affected places around the world, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has cautioned.
“The pandemic is a crisis on top of a crisis in parts of Africa, Latin America and Asia,” said Sean Callahan, CRS President in a statement.
The official explained that the severe health risks are only part of the Coronavirus outbreak as lockdowns are hampering people from planting and harvesting crops, working as day labourers and selling products.
Jerry Farrell, CRS Deputy Country Representative in Nigeria, said his teams developed new protocols that limit people from coming together in groups at normally teeming markets.
“Trying to encourage social distancing is extremely difficult in a culture where people are warm and affection. It’s counterintuitive. It’s not what people are taught,” Farrell said.
“What little money families can scrape together, they will likely use to buy food instead of seeds and fertilizer for the upcoming planting season, putting the next harvest at risk”, said Blain Cerney, Head of Program for CRS in El Salvador.
