Economic impact of COVID-19 on income and use of livelihoods related coping mechanisms in Chad

Abstract

IntroductionImpacts of the economic slowdown due to COVID-19 were prevalent in SubSaharan African countries. Using four nationally representative surveys collected in 2020 (rural n = 13,208; urban n = 1736) and 2021 (n = 14,730; n = 2,231), this secondary analysis evaluates economic impacts of the pandemic on household income and use of livelihoods-related coping mechanisms in Chad.MethodsUnivariate and multivariate regression, accounting for the survey design and sampling weights, was used to examine risk factors for reported income reduction and coping mechanism use and the associations with food expenditures and food security.ResultsThe economic impact of COVID-19 was greater in urban areas than rural areas in 2020 with improvement in urban areas and deterioration in rural areas in 2021. The reported income reduction was associated with female and unmarried household heads, living in the Saharan zone, and in rural areas, non-agricultural income sources. In urban areas, having skilled/unskilled labor as the primary income source was protective. Risk factors for the adoption of livelihoods-related coping mechanisms were similar to those of income reduction, with findings related to poor living conditions. Income reduction due to COVID-19 was associated with the use of stress and crisis coping strategies and lower household expenditure in both years and poor food consumption in rural areas in 2020.DiscussionThis study elucidates the potential impact pathways of COVID-19 from a household economic downturn to limited food spending, poor food consumption, and increased use of coping mechanisms. Findings are relevant for informing the targeting of assistance in future economic shocks and suggest prioritizing socioeconomically vulnerable households.

Trends and Determinants of Children’s Wasting and Women’s Thinness in Chad, 2015 to 2021

“…21 These effects were felt in Chad, where Kang et al found that the household economic impact of COVID-19 was greatest in urban areas in 2020 and greatest in rural areas in 2021. 3 This may help explain why different primary income sources, such as temporary work and civil service, which are more common in urban settings, were associated with higher odds of women’s thinness in 2020, but not in 2021. Additionally, worsening economic conditions in Chad may have contributed to the higher rates of undernutrition in 2021, as a result of decreased consumer purchasing power for food.…”

“…An analysis of the economic impacts of COVID-19 in Chad observed that impacts were greatest among already vulnerable groups which is consistent with evidence from a multi-country study in sub-Saharan Africa. 2,3 At a global level, COVID-19 related lockdowns, supply chain disruptions, and price inflation have led to decreases in household income and purchasing power, which has caused a marked increase in food insecurity. An estimated 2.3 billion people, or 11.7% of the global population, were moderately or severely food insecure in 2021.…”

Temporal trends of food insecurity in Chad, 2016–2021

“…Chad's unpredictable rainfall patterns, flooding, and droughts cause economic and social problems, exacerbating conflict and contributing to migration and internal displacement (American University, 2021). In addition to climate and conflict-related shocks, a recent study by Kang et al (2023) showed that the COVID-19 pandemic also significantly affected food security by disrupting livelihoods in both rural and urban areas. As noted by the IMF 2022 (Baptista et al, 2022), successive shocks from the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic have increased food prices and depressed incomes, raising the number of people suffering from high malnutrition and unable to meet basic food consumption in sub-Saharan Africa.…”

“…The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that globally an additional 112 million people fell into undernutrition because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and food insecurity attributed to COVID-19 lockdowns disproportionately affected socio-economically vulnerable groups (FAO et al, 2022). Kang et al (2023) found that nearly two-thirds of households in Chad reported an income reduction due to the pandemic, which was in turn associated with increased use of livelihood coping strategies. The household economic impacts of the pandemic in Chad were most pronounced in urban areas in 2020, whereas in 2021, there was a geographic shift and household economies in rural areas were more negatively affected (Kang et al, 2023).…”

“…Kang et al (2023) found that nearly two-thirds of households in Chad reported an income reduction due to the pandemic, which was in turn associated with increased use of livelihood coping strategies. The household economic impacts of the pandemic in Chad were most pronounced in urban areas in 2020, whereas in 2021, there was a geographic shift and household economies in rural areas were more negatively affected (Kang et al, 2023).…”