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Impact of Covid-19 on farming systems in Europe through the lens of resilience thinking

Author

Listed:
  • Meuwissen, Miranda
  • Feindt, Peter
  • Slijper, Thomas
  • Spiegel, Alisa
  • Finger, Robert
  • de Mey, Yann
  • Paas, Wim
  • Termeer, Katrien
  • Poortvliet, P. Marijn
  • Peneva, Mariya
  • Urquhart, Julie
  • Vigani, Mauro
  • Black, Jasmine
  • Nicholas-Davies, Phillipa
  • Maye, Damian
  • Appel, Franziska
  • Heinrich, Florian
  • Balmann, Alfons
  • Bijttebier, Jo
  • Coopmans, Isabeau
  • Wauters, Erwin
  • Mathijs, Erik
  • Hansson, Helena
  • Lagerkvist, Carl Johan
  • Rommel, Jens
  • Manevska-Tasevska, Gordana
  • Accatino, Francesco
  • Pineau, C.
  • Soriano, Barbara
  • Bardaji, Isabel
  • Severini, Simone
  • Senni, Saverio
  • Zinnanti, Camelia
  • Gavrilescu, Cinzia
  • Bruma, Ioan-Sebastian
  • Dobay, Krisztina-Melinda
  • Matei, Daniela
  • Tanasa, Lucian
  • Voicilas, Dan Marius
  • Zawalińska, Katarzyna
  • Gradziuk, Piotr
  • Krupin, Vitaliy
  • Martikainen, Anna
  • Herrera, Hugo
  • Reidsma, Pytrik

Abstract

Context: Resilience is the ability to deal with shocks and stresses, including the unknown and previously unimaginable, such as the Covid-19 crisis. Objective: This paper assesses (i) how different farming systems were exposed to the crisis, (ii) which resilience capacities were revealed and (iii) how resilience was enabled or constrained by the farming systems' social and institutional environment. Methods: The 11 farming systems included have been analysed since 2017. This allows a comparison of pre-Covid-19 findings and the Covid-19 crisis. Pre-Covid findings are from the SURE-Farm systematic sustainability and resilience assessment. For Covid-19 a special data collection was carried out during the early stage of lockdowns. Results and conclusions: Our case studies found limited impact of Covid-19 on the production and delivery of food and other agricultural products. This was due to either little exposure or the agile activation of robustness capacities of the farming systems in combination with an enabling institutional environment. Revealed capacities were mainly based on already existing connectedness among farmers and more broadly in value chains. Across cases, the experience of the crisis triggered reflexivity about the operation of the farming systems. Recurring topics were the need for shorter chains, more fairness towards farmers, and less dependence on migrant workers. However, actors in the farming systems and the enabling environment generally focused on the immediate issues and gave little real consideration to long-term implications and challenges. Hence, adaptive or transformative capacities were much less on display than coping capacities. The comparison with pre-Covid findings mostly showed similarities. If challenges, such as shortage of labour, already loomed before, they persisted during the crisis. Furthermore, the eminent role of resilience attributes was confirmed. In cases with high connectedness and diversity we found that these system characteristics contributed significantly to dealing with the crisis. Also the focus on coping capacities was already visible before the crisis. We are not sure yet whether the focus on short-term robustness just reflects the higher visibility and urgency of shocks compared to slow processes that undermine or threaten important system functions, or whether they betray an imbalance in resilience capacities at the expense of adaptability and transformability. Significance: Our analysis indicates that if transformations are required, e.g. to respond to concerns about transnational value chains and future pandemics from zoonosis, the transformative capacity of many farming systems needs to be actively enhanced through an enabling environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Meuwissen, Miranda & Feindt, Peter & Slijper, Thomas & Spiegel, Alisa & Finger, Robert & de Mey, Yann & Paas, Wim & Termeer, Katrien & Poortvliet, P. Marijn & Peneva, Mariya & Urquhart, Julie & Vigani, 2021. "Impact of Covid-19 on farming systems in Europe through the lens of resilience thinking," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 191.
  • Handle: RePEc:zbw:espost:234447
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agsy.2021.103152
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    3. Abdullah Kaviani Rad & Redmond R. Shamshiri & Hassan Azarm & Siva K. Balasundram & Muhammad Sultan, 2021. "Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Security and Agriculture in Iran: A Survey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-20, September.
    4. Thomas Slijper & Yann de Mey & P Marijn Poortvliet & Miranda P M Meuwissen, 2022. "Quantifying the resilience of European farms using FADN," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 49(1), pages 121-150.
    5. Grzegorz Tadeusz Paluszak & Joanna Alicja Wiśniewska-Paluszak & Joanna Schmidt & Jarosław Lira, 2021. "The Organisational Resilience (OR) of Rural Non-Profits (RNPOs) under Conditions of the COVID-19 Pandemic Global Uncertainty," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-23, July.
    6. Coral, Claudia & Mithöfer, Dagmar, 2023. "The backbone of agrifood value chain resilience: Innovation in the Ecuadorian banana value chain from a historical perspective," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 29(C).
    7. Stephens, Emma & Timsina, Jagadish & Martin, Guillaume & van Wijk, Mark & Klerkx, Laurens & Reidsma, Pytrik & Snow, Val, 2022. "The immediate impact of the first waves of the global COVID-19 pandemic on agricultural systems worldwide: Reflections on the COVID-19 special issue for agricultural systems," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).
    8. Grigorescu, Ines & Popovici, Elena-Ana & Damian, Nicoleta & Dumitraşcu, Monica & Sima, Mihaela & Mitrică, Bianca & Mocanu, Irena, 2022. "The resilience of sub-urban small farming in Bucharest Metropolitan Area in response to the COVID-19 pandemic," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    9. Ioan Sebastian Brumă & Simona-Roxana Ulman & Cristina Cautisanu & Lucian Tanasă & Gabriel Vasile Hoha, 2021. "Sustainability in the Case of Small Vegetable Farmers: A Matrix Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-32, September.

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