UC Berkeley

The COVID-19 pandemic worsened food insecurity worldwide. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of the pandemic on perceived food insecurity among households in rural Esmeraldas, Ecuador. We conducted a cross-sectional survey to characterize pandemic impacts on household livelihoods and food insecurity in five communities. Fifteen months after the pandemic began, food insecurity was reported in almost half of all households. Residents of the least-accessible community reported the greatest disruptions in food availability, while residents of more accessible communities reported greater disruption to livelihoods. These data suggests that transportation restrictions differentially impacted the least accessible rural communities.