The Impact of COVID-19 on Urban Agriculture in São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

During the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic, farmers worldwide were greatly affected by disruptions in the food chain. In 2020, São Paulo city experienced most of the effects of the pandemic in Brazil, with 15,587 deaths through December 2020. Here, we describe the impacts of COVID-19 on urban agriculture (UA) in São Paulo from April to August 2020. We analyzed two governmental surveys of 2100 farmers from São Paulo state and 148 from São Paulo city and two qualitative surveys of volunteers from ten community gardens and seven urban farmers. Our data showed that 50% of the farmers were impacted by the pandemic with drops in sales, especially those that depended on intermediaries. Some farmers in the city adapted to novel sales channels, but 22% claimed that obtaining inputs became difficult. No municipal support was provided to UA in São Paulo, and pre-existing issues were exacerbated. Work on community gardens decreased, but no garden permanently closed. Post COVID-19, UA will have the challenge of maintaining local food chains established during the pandemic. Due to the increase in the price of inputs and the lack of technical assistance, governmental efforts should be implemented to support UA.

A review on urban agriculture: technology, socio-economy, and policy

“…Namely, a lack of technical assistance, an inability to diversify commercialization channels, and difficulty accessing inputs. Furthermore, noncommercial community gardens were unable to significantly contribute to food security due to restrictions and lack of formal recognition by the government ( Biazoti et al., 2021 ). Thus, if UA is to advance disaster risk reduction, it will require more direct engagement with government authorities to promote integration with long term development goals.…”

Challenges to Promote Sustainability in Urban Agriculture Models: A Review

“…In Africa, for example, where food security is an important issue, UA is understood as an answer, while in Asia research on green spaces reflects issues of spatial planning and land distribution in high-density cities. In Latin America and the Caribbean, where there are serious issues of inequality, studies highlight vulnerability and social concerns [76].…”

“…Another aspect observed is the difference in governmental action in periods of crisis. While in developed countries it is common to observe the encouragement of activities such as UA [53], in developing countries crises can affect even more the performance of governance, as observed in the city of São Paulo during the COVID-19 pandemic [76].…”

Necessity over luxury: The Role of Green Infrastructure in Building Resilience in the Pandemic World

“…An example of this was shown in Sao Paulo city -Brazil, as COVID-19 negatively impacted urban agriculture causing farms to drop in sales, work in community gardens decreased, causing a city wide disturbance in maintaining sufficient food resources locally. This was acknowledged to be caused due to the lack of support and assistance needed from the government in time of crises [75].…”