The year 2020 brought an unprecedented global crisis, as Covid-19 reached every corner of the earth. In the countries where SWISSAID operates, the fear of prolonged hunger quickly eclipsed the fear of the disease itself. And with good reason: how do you feed your family when markets are closed or access to them is restricted? How do you secure food when income from the informal economy suddenly disappears?
Hunger on the Rise Again
According to a United Nations report, the economic crisis linked to the pandemic threatened to push an additional 32 million people into extreme poverty in 2020. This critical situation was further exacerbated by inflation and geopolitical tensions, such as the war in Ukraine.
Now, several years later, we can better assess the situation: between 2019 and the peak of the pandemic, the number of people suffering from hunger rose by 122 million. By 2025, more than 2.3 billion people suffered from moderate or severe food insecurity, representing nearly 30% of the world’s population. Global hunger, which was once on the decline, has risen once more.
Impact of Covid-19: Women Are Hit First—and Hardest
Covid-19 has drastically worsened the pre-existing precarious situation of women: in 2021, 150 million more women than men suffered from hunger. As the backbone of both the informal economy and unpaid domestic work, they bore the brunt of income loss alongside an explosion in psychological distress.
The state of emergency leads to a loss of income for the most vulnerable. This particularly affects indigenous women, who are virtually unreached by state aid and health services, says Oscar Quillupangui, Head of the SWISSAID office in Ecuador.
Against this backdrop, SWISSAID’s work in the area of gender equality is of paramount importance. Projects aimed at economically empowering women, promoting shared responsibility within households, and combating domestic violence are vital. In any crisis—whether health-related, humanitarian, or war—women and children are always among the first victims. Poverty and hunger wear a female face.
Agroecology: An Invisible Shield
One of the key insights from our work during the Covid-19 crisis is that individuals who participated in agroecological projects coped better with the crisis. This is a clear endorsement of the superiority of the agroecological approach in times of crisis.
Why is this? The approach helps strengthen the relationship between nature, agriculture, and health, while promoting sustainable food systems. By fostering biodiversity and the genetic diversity of seeds, farms managed according to agroecological principles prove much more resilient to crises, viruses, and pests. SWISSAID has been promoting agroecology in all its partner countries for decades.
The Benefits of Agroecology in Times of Crisis
Technical Autonomy
While chemical fertilizers were stuck in ports, farmers trained in agroecology produced their own inputs.
Seed Sovereignty
Access to traditional seeds allowed for timely sowing when industrial seeds could no longer be procured.
Strengthened Solidarity
Contrary to popular belief, the pandemic did not lead to isolationism. Solidarity within communities and from our donors grew stronger, as the interconnectedness of our fates became undeniably clear.
Chaos in India: From Hardship to Hope
Covid-19 shook the entire world. What was the situation like in our partner countries? A closer look at India and Chad.
India was particularly hard hit by the virus and its consequences. In 2021, the country stood on the brink of collapse: healthcare systems were overwhelmed, and millions of migrant workers were forced to return to their villages entirely destitute.
Through our agroecological projects, we go beyond immediate humanitarian hygiene and food packages to support the most vulnerable families, helping them lay a vital foundation for long-term resilience against crises.
Kavita Gandhi, Country Director for SWISSAID India, reported:
Hunger looms in many regions. Lockdowns and quarantine measures make food supplies difficult to secure. This makes local agriculture all the more vital. That is why we support farmers every day in transitioning to agroecology—their best chance to secure a sustainable food supply for themselves.
Chad: Food Security Despite Inflation
In Chad, one of the poorest countries in the world, Covid-19 triggered devastating economic consequences. The closure of borders led to a massive spike in the price of staple foods, threatening years of progress in the fight against hunger.
The population is finding it extremely difficult to get enough food, both in terms of quality and quantity, explained Yvette Nebinon, Chair of the Bébédija Women’s Platform, in 2021.
Nevertheless, SWISSAID pressed ahead with its projects, focusing heavily on training in agroecological methods. While the long supply chains of industrial agriculture failed, agroecological vegetable gardens and shorter supply chains successfully fed farming families. This proves that promoting the self-sufficiency of farmers is the only sustainable solution.
The support of SWISSAID has been extremely important for us. The food and hygiene products distributed have greatly alleviated our suffering.
We managed to raise awareness about how to act properly to avoid contagion and transmission of the virus, for example by asking women to maintain a social distance, to wash their hands often with soap, to clean surfaces with bleach, to avoid going to places with crowds, etc.
Ermelinda Pedro Mendonça, president of the farmer association Granja Pessube.
And Today?
The reports prove it: our projects hold up well in times of crisis and are highly adaptable. For instance, we were able to shift additional focus toward measures like distributing emergency relief packages with hygiene kits and local seeds, as well as holding events to combat misinformation.
It challenged us, but it also improved our project work. Most importantly, it reinforced our commitment to strengthening rural communities and reducing their dependence on international actors.
