FOOD SOVEREIGNTY INDEXES OF PEASANT FARMS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN FIVE CANTONS OF THE PROVINCE OF GUAYAS

Abstract

Ecuador was one of the countries most affected by the health crisis and state of emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic, so the measures adopted to mitigate the spread of the disease endangered the food chain, where the urban sectors -marginal suffered food shortages, evidencing the importance of the agri-food sector at the local level, sustained to a greater degree by peasant and family agriculture. The aim of this study was to know the situation of ten peasant farms (PF) in the province of Guayas during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the experience of family farming. Several challenges to face were detected, such as obtaining inputs, transportation, and distribution of production, hiring labor, uncertainty about prices and sales, little access to bank loans, among others. PFs with a high Food Sovereignty (FS) index showed greater resilience in the face of adversities caused by the pandemic, while those with the lowest index were strongly affected and with little recovery. Adversities, such as pandemics and climate change, could have unfavorable consequences for agricultural production, so strengthening the resilience of productive agroecosystems makes it possible to ensure adequate and culturally healthy food supply.