Impact of COVID-19 on the Cotton Sector in Latin America and the Caribbean: Necessity to Rethink the Production and Marketing Model

摘要

The spread of COVID-19 has deepened the vulnerability of millions of agricultural producers and workers in the agri-food industry and basic inputs and services; intensifying the feeling of uncertainty in the short and medium term for this section of the population. This new reality is even more intense in those countries with high levels of food and nutritional insecurity, where their installed capacities are limited to face additional risks such as those generated by the pandemic. In this context, there is a discussion on new ways and means of managing the diversity of agri-food systems and rethinking the established strategies, focusing on a new, inclusive, sustainable, and resilient model. The impacts of the pandemic cover a wide range of sectors and have forced decision-makers to change their original planning in the face of a situation that affects their countries and regions worldwide.