ActionAid conducted qualitative research in September 2020 to understand how COVID-19 and the measures undertaken to control it have affected the lives and livelihoods of women smallholder farmers in 14 selected countries in Asia and Africa.
Employing a feminist analysis, the research used a purposive sampling approach, i.e. a selected sample comprised of respondents who were representative of the target populations we wished to study. The research sought to understand whether COVID-19 has led to any changes in the following five thematic areas; access to markets to buy food as well as sell produce; prevalence of gender-based violence; preparedness for the next sowing season; and coping strategies and innovations by smallholder women farmers.
In Asia, the research was conducted in Bangladesh and Nepal. In Africa, the research was undertaken in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The study covered 190 individuals.