Disruptions to agricultural activities, income loss and food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from farm households in a developing country

Purpose - In the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam imposed many drastic restrictions to curb the outbreak of this virus. Such restrictions interrupted the normal functioning of various economic sectors, including agriculture. This research examined disruptions to agricultural activities, income loss and perceived food insecurity among farm households during the pandemic, and then explored the relationships among these economic factors. Design/methodology/approach - Household data from Vietnam and Generalized Structural Equation Model (GSEM) were used for empirical analysis. Findings - Descriptive analyses found that only a small proportion of farm households suffered from the COVID-19 disruptions to their agricultural activities, a large percentage experienced income loss, and a medium number were worried about their food insecurity. GSEM results also revealed that the COVID-19 disruptions to agricultural activities significantly increased the likelihood of worrying about food insecurity, mediated by income loss. Research limitations/implications - Due to data limitations, the authors could not use better indicators to define and measure the variables of interest (e.g. COVID-19 disruptions to agricultural activities, income loss and food insecurity). Another similar concern was that our models did not account for unobservables, causing some estimation biases. Originality/value - This research is among the first attempts that examined the direct and indirect (mediated by income loss) effects of the COVID-19 disruptions to agricultural activities on food insecurity.