4. Recommended priority actions • Leveraging, adapting, and scaling up large scale social safety nets, such as school meals programmes; • Ensuring safe passage of humanitarian personnel and cargo, at local, national and global levels. Where necessary, humanitarian diplomacy may be key to facilitating such access, protecting humanitarian operations and enabling aid convoys to reach civilians; and, • Ensuring humanitarian access and estab  lishing common humanitarian services, including aviation, shipping, storage and transport, as well as engineering services in areas affected by the pandemic. 1. MOBILIZE TO SAVE LIVES AND LIVELIHOODS, FOCUSING ATTENTION WHERE THE RISK IS MOST ACUTE. 1.1 Preserve critical humanitarian food, livelihood and nutrition assistance to vulnerable groups – adapted to anticipated COVID 19 impact Given the nature of the pandemic, new and adaptable models of food and nutrition distribution that minimize physical contacts are necessary. Governments and humanitarian actors need to anticipate where crises will unfold, who will be most affected, and what will be the most cost effective responses. Most important, they need to scale up preparedness and prevention measures now. These efforts include: • Providing life  and livelihood saving food and cash based assistance in the most fragile places, including through forward procurement and pre positioning of buffer stocks to sustain existing programmes; • Protecting breastfeeding and ensuring timely access to complementary and thera  peutic foods for infants and young children, as well as micronutrient supplements and other essential nutrition commodities; POLICY BRIEF: THE IMPACT OF COVID 19 ON FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION 15 1.2 Declare food production, marketing, and distribution essential services everywhere to keep trade corridors open to ensure the continuous functioning of the critical aspects of food systems in all countries. It is essential that food and nutrition care workers be protected against exposure to COVID 19, in the same manner as front line workers and other essential staff. This is particularly important where workers interact with the general public or with large numbers of people, as in wholesale markets, food  processing plants, food pantries, or in close contact with clients, for example breastfeeding counsellors, community based nutrition agents, and grocery workers. Special rules for social distancing, staggering hours, or mechanizing sorting and counting processes can be useful where masks and other personal protective equipment are in short supply. • Accelerating inter regional trade can increase regional demand, smoothing the significant demand shock because of the recession. Establishing barriers to trade or disrupting domestic and global food supply chains, as a part of COVID 19 control and mitigation measures, such as import or export bans on particular commodities, should be avoided. Where they are necessary, they should be consistent with WTO rules and be targeted, proportionate, transparent, and temporary.38 In particular, as noted by the G20 Agriculture Ministers, states should guard against any measures that could lead to excessive food price volatility in international markets or threaten the food security and nutrition of large proportions of the world population. 1.3 Expand the use of frequent food security monitoring systems to provide up to date information on the impacts of the outbreak and understand better who is most at risk. The crisis requires additional, stepped up monitoring and assessment to track and forestall nutritional impacts of the pandemic response and economic shock. The Food Insecurity Experience scale  ( FIES ) 39, a measure for SDG indicator 2.1.2, improves the visibility of hunger and can be adapted for monthly or higher frequency monitoring during times of crisis. This is essential to track the evolution of severe food insecurity, especially to identify new geospatial hotspots . Despite continuous improvements, in crisis situations there are many limitations in the collection of data and predictive analysis in the area of food security and nutrition due to insufficient data availability and challenges of comparability across different metrics, among other factors. While existing tools can be further improved to better understand the impacts of COVID  19, there is also a need for governments, technical experts, food producers, marketers, and other food market participants to share data, information and analysis to develop a stronger understanding of the pandemic's various effects on food security, nutrition and overall food system functioning in real  time. To ensure thorough, timely collection and analysis of data related to food systems functioning, several options are available: 38 https://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news20_e/ddgaw_20apr20_e.htm 39 http://www.fao.org/in action/voices of the hungry/fies/en/ 16 POLICY BRIEF: THE IMPACT OF COVID 19 ON FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION highly dependent on sectors such as tourism or trade in commodities being hurt by the crisis as well as those who may have already been under debt distress, thus resulting in long term effects on economic activity. It is therefore recommended that countries and other relevant stakeholders work to: • Ensure relief and stimulus packages target and reach the most vulnerable, including meeting the liquidity needs of small scale food producers and rural businesses; • Accelerate efforts aimed at expanding access to financial services, includ  ing through the deployment of tech  nological and product innovations; • Maintain an emphasis on financial inclusion. Increasingly, digital financial technologies are becoming necessary to expand credit supply to underserved areas and can be espe  cially helpful in areas under lockdown; and, • Offer comprehensive and coordinated financ  ing options to countries in need to ensure their ability to meet short term liquidity needs, as articulated at the 28 May High  Level Event on Financing for Development.41 • Mobile or remote data collection through phone interviews and sur  veys to understand the situation on food consumers and producers; • Remote sensing, artificial intelligence and other available real time data to moni  tor the health and intensity of cultivation, density of population in aggregation points and marketing centres, and accu  mulation of food spoiling and waste; • Country level application of tools for earth observation and for monitor  ing of crop calendars and prices to strengthen national capacities in man  aging food security information; and, • Crop calendars,40 which show critical planting and harvesting periods, can be overlaid with information on COVID 19 outbreaks at the subnational level. Such information can help countries to strategi  cally plan sowing, planting, and harvesting tasks to ensure continued food supply before, during, and after lockdowns. 1.4 Maintain liquidity and promote financial inclusion, particularly in rural areas A comprehensive and coordinated effort by all development partners is essential. To reach the most vulnerable, many countries will require external financing, grants on concessional terms and potentially debt relief or debt refinancing from the international financial community. Without adequate financing, temporary liquidity issues could turn into solvency problems, particularly for those economies that are 40 http://www.fao.org/2019 ncov/covid 19 crop calendars/en/ 41 High Level Event on Financing for Development in the Era of COVID 19 and Beyond POLICY BRIEF: THE IMPACT OF COVID 19 ON FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION 17 2. STRENGTHEN SOCIAL PROTECTION SYSTEMS FOR NUTRITION. The societal disruptions and economic shocks arising from COVID 19 control and mitigation measures have been severe. Fortunately, in much of the world, governments and financial institutions have responded with unprecedented speed. Investments in social protection can serve as powerful instruments for strengthening people's access to food, nutrition, and essential services, particularly for vulnerable groups in both urban and rural settings. With the right investments and policies, social protection, healthcare systems, and food systems can work together to provide blanket coverage of a population's nutritional needs. Such actions ensure that public expenditure is used to keep local and national agri food markets functioning, strengthen health responses for nutritional care, and empower women and caretakers who make household decisions about food choice. Such actions protect food workers and close gaps in food distribution to reach the most vulnerable. FIGURE 5: INTEGRATING A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO NUTRITION IN THE COVID 19 SOCIO ECONOMIC RESPONSE Source: UNICEF, 2020 18 POLICY BRIEF: THE IMPACT OF COVID 19 ON FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION 2.1 Food and nutrition assistance should be at the heart of social protection programmes Poor people spend more than half of their income on food, and their ability to purchase food has been severely hampered by the loss of income streams. There is a high probability of a dangerous decline in dietary quality in many countries stemming from pandemic induced income losses, as well as from the freezing of food transfer schemes such as school feeding programmes and the breakdown of food markets due to both demand shocks and supply constraints. Social protection programmes can protect food access by increasing purchasing power for those who need it or by directly providing food through government or community  based programmes. Ensuring access to a diverse healthy diet, in addition to staples, is important. There is also a need to substantially expand the capacity of community based and facility based programmes to address acute malnutrition and the coverage of social protection networks for nutrition. 2.2 Strengthen the health system response for nutritional care Malnutrition will also increase due to healthcare failures, as already strained healthcare systems are forced to divert resources from a range of nutritionally important functions   including antenatal care, micronutrient supplementation, and prevention and treatment of childhood diarrhoea, infections, and acute malnutrition   toward combating COVID 19. During the COVID 19 pandemic, it is important to ensure the continuity of nutrition services, particularly early detection and community  based management of acute malnutrition and infant and young child feeding, as well as related maternal nutrition programmes. This should be done with adequate measures to prevent COVID 19 transmission42 in the context of general principles of the continuity of essential health services.43 It is also critical to develop plans to cope with a deteriorating nutrition situation that may be exacerbated by response measures to COVID  19 that disrupt food systems. For example, due to the pandemic, it may become difficult to diagnose and manage nutrition failures in large populations. Currently, out of approximately 47 million wasted children globally, only 10 million children receive support. Accelerating implementation of the Global Action Plan on Wasting44 will be vital to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. The Plan includes measures to prevent and manage wasting through support to mothers and children, particularly in countries that already have a high prevalence of wasting. The first thousand days of a child's life from conception is a critical window to build a foundation for healthy growth and development. 2.3 Protect the most vulnerable population groups, starting with women who play key roles in the household and essentials services delivery Social protection schemes need to put the needs of women at the forefront. Women often work as primary care givers at home and as frontline staff in health care. Programmes 42 https://www.nutritioncluster.net/sites/default/files/2020 04/Sudan%20NUTRITION%20SECTOR%20OPERATIONAL%20GUIDANCE%20 ON%20CMAM%20%20IYCF%20during%20COVID 19%20response%20Final.pdf 43 WHO, 2020 https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/331561/WHO 2019 nCoV essential_health_services 2020.1 eng. pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y 44 https://www.who.int/who documents detail/global action plan on child wasting a framework for action POLICY BRIEF: THE IMPACT OF COVID 19 ON FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION 19 With widespread unemployment and loss of income, poor households will respond by purchasing the cheapest calories they can find to feed their families. In poor countries calories from nutrient rich, non staple foods like eggs, fruits, and vegetables are often as much as 10 times more expensive than calories from rice, maize, wheat, or cassava.45 In the face of drastic declines in income, vulnerable households will quickly give up nutrient rich foods in order to preserve their caloric intake. Food assistance through public distribution systems should offer diverse, balanced and nutritious meals. In places where markets are functioning, a mixed modality of using vouchers together with social protection programmes can help address micronutrient deficiencies. Given that physical distancing and mobility restrictions may be in place for many months, governments, development partners, and microfinance institutions should search for ways to stimulate innovative and safe food delivery systems, especially those that create jobs. Institutional buying through public food procurement can help provide nutritious food and overcome crisis induced production and marketing bottlenecks. Expanding public procurement policies can also help make up for small scale producers' lost income when access to markets is limited and demand is low during crises. need to also identify and target vulnerable groups, including families who may resort to child labour as a coping strategy. Some target groups may be more difficult to reach given the restrictions on movement. They include refugees, children who used to benefit from school feeding programmes and community nutrition programmes, as well as large numbers of informal workers, such as agricultural workers, fishers, foresters and casual labourers, many of whom are migrant workers. In some countries, COVID response plans have included adaptations of multicomponent school  based food and nutrition programmes to ensure continued service, despite school closures. These programmes, especially those that address other health aspects, such as access to water and sanitation, and deworming, have been increasingly recognized as an important programmatic area for sustainable development. They can play a crucial role in crisis response. 2.4 Tailor social protection programmes to be nutrition sensitive In designing social protection programmes, the potential benefits of different transfer modalities, like in kind, cash, or voucher, should be considered first. Cash transfers and vouchers should be accompanied with additional technical advisory support, transfer of assets, including knowledge and skills, as well as access to basic services, such as health, nutrition, and education. Such actions and provisions can make a significant difference in situations where markets function, but food price inflation makes it hard to buy food, especially foods that contribute to a healthy diet. 45 https://www.ifpri.org/blog/covid 19 nutrition crisis what expect and how protect 20 POLICY BRIEF: THE IMPACT OF COVID 19 ON FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION 3. INVEST IN A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE Dedicated investments to address the disruptions in the food systems resulting from national policy responses to the COVID  19 crisis are needed. But even in the midst of crisis, opportunities exist to innovate and “build to transform.' This is essential in order to lay the foundation for an inclusive, green, and resilient post crisis recovery. The crisis investment response should prioritize actions which solve short term problems and protect against shifting the burden of economic adjustment onto those least able to bear it. Today's food systems are also failing the planet itself, significantly contributing to the climate disruption that threatens our world. Food systems contribute up to 29 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions; livestock contributes 14.5 percent of all anthropogenic GHG emissions, of which 44 percent is in the form of methane.46 All too often, food systems activities undermine biodiversity, contributing to the mass extinction of species, ecocide, soil loss, land degradation, drinking water pollution, air pollution, overdrawn aquifers, greenhouse gas emissions, antimicrobial resistance and the spread of zoonotic diseases. As we address the socio economic dimensions of the crisis, we should reconsider the ways that we produce, process, market, consume, and handle the waste of foods – and build back better. The Food Systems Summit in 2021 can serve as rallying point for the global community to commit to ambitious actions to transform our food systems in service of the SDGs and our shared objectives on climate. THE PRICE OF FOOD: IMPACTS OF FOOD SYSTEMS ON THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT • 25 30% of total Greenhouse Gas Emissions  ( GHG )  emissions are attributable to the food system.  ( IPCC, 2019 )  • Around 1 million species already face extinction, many within decades, unless action is taken to reduce the intensity of drivers of biodiversity loss.  ( IPBES, 2019 )  • A third of fish stocks are overfished.  ( FAO, 2019 )  • When forest land is converted to crops, soil carbon decreases by 42%; when pasture is converted, the reduction is 59%.  ( FAO, 2015 )  • Between 2,000 and 5,000 litres of water are needed to produce a person's daily food.  ( FAO, 2012 ) . 46 FAO, Tackling climate change through livestock: A global assessment of emissions and mitigation opportunities, 2019. POLICY BRIEF: THE IMPACT OF COVID 19 ON FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION 21 FIGURE 6: THE ENTIRE FOOD SYSTEM IS CRUCIAL FOR BUILDING RESILIENCE AND DELIVERING ON THE SDGS Figure XX. Food systems delivering food and healthy diets Drivers Biophysical & environmental Innovation, technology & infrastructure Political, economic Socio cultural Demographic FOOD ENVIRONMENTS Availability & physical access Affordability Food Supply Chains CONSUMER BEHAVIOR Choosing where and what food to acquire, prepare, cook, store and eat DIETS Quantity Quality Diversity Safety Production & harvesting Storage & marketing Processing, packaging Distribution & retail NUTRITION AND HEALTH OUTCOMES Promotion, advertising, information Quality & safety IMPACTS Social Economic Environmental POLICY, PROGRAM AND INSTITUTIONAL ACTIONS 3.1 Food systems need to be transformed to work better with nature and for the climate More efficient, sustainable, and resilient food systems require careful management of land, soil, and water through integrated approaches. Such food systems also require reduction of post harvest food losses at every stage of the value chain with improved practices. These include access to low cost handling and storage technologies, and packaging. Change in date labelling in packaged food, in store promotion of healthier options of products, and awareness raising campaigns will help reduce food waste. Resilience to climate change can be achieved through water and energy saving irrigation, conservation agriculture, and controlled environment farming, livestock grazing management, energy efficient cold storage, biogas production, and renewable energy. Conducive policies can help drive positive behavioural change and increase the attractiveness of sustainable and resilient alternatives. 3.2 Lay the foundation for a more inclusive, green, and resilient re  covery Resources devoted to tackle the COVID  19 crisis need to be used in a “build to transform' approach   to achieve food system transformation that contributes to the 2030 Agenda. International Financial Institutions have already responded with new funds and proposals and are re directing existing loans to focus on more resilient food systems. Resources should be used to invest in resilience rather than subsidies, providing a return on investment. The transformation of food systems needs to be guided by data and advanced analytics to better understand trade offs between measures. Data platforms are fundamental to ensure that investments are well targeted. Countries should attract private sector investment using public policies that enhance returns and promote digital services among poor farmers so that they can better access knowledge, markets and funding. Blended finance should be used 22 POLICY BRIEF: THE IMPACT OF COVID 19 ON FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION to leverage more resources and encourage private sector investments in socially and environmentally responsible food systems. 3.3 2021 Food Systems Summit: The future is now The Food Systems Summit in 2021, and the preparatory process leading to it, offers governments and all stakeholders a critical opportunity for inclusive dialogues and for mobilizing multi stakeholder action, both around the short term socio economic response and medium term priorities to “build to transform.' Stakeholders should take advantage of the preparatory process as an important platform to forge an improved and accelerated approach to the complex task of transforming food systems. This can be a rallying call for re committing to the 2030 Agenda in this area and accelerating progress towards the SDGs more broadly. The current pandemic has highlighted our fragility, but also the interconnected nature of our world. It underscores the need to work together to address global challenges. Multi  stakeholder collaboration is needed at all levels, and there are many experiences and practical approaches to working together – even in a crisis where time is of the essence. The international community offers many such tools. The Food Systems Summit in 2021 will offer one avenue for action, but there are many other existing institutions serving as spaces within which actors can be mobilized and actions coordinated. Multi stakeholder platforms that ensure effective representation and voices of all stakeholders can help mobilise rapid and innovative responses to impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic on the agriculture and food sectors.