Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics Food Security Group

The global COVID-19 crisis has impacted every facet of Malawian life and touched every aspect of agricultural value chain. One of the main challenges in dealing with the crisis is that the costs and benefits of combating (or not combating) the spread of the disease are not obvious. Our goal with this analysis has been to collect and present data from numerous respondents representing nodes across the agricultural spectrum to begin to allow policy makers to make informed decisions. The most important takeaway, however, is that these data are only a starting point. The challenges presented by this novel virus, and the ways Malawians react to them, are dynamic and rapidly evolving. The only way to ensure informed decisions are made will be through a concerted effort to monitor situations.

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