This list, based on a review of recent relevant literature, summarizes the effects of COVID-19 on the farming population:
Financial
Falling prices and revenue
•
Market disruptions
•
Decline in restaurant food sales
•
Loss of off-farm income
•
• Rising rates of farm loan delinquency-bankruptcies
Reduction in demand for biofuels
•
• Lack of labor, processors, and farming supplies
Trouble keeping labor
•
Cash flow problems
•
• Added costs of alternative sales strategies
Difficulty accessing inputs
•
Health
Increased mental distress
•
• COVID-19 related illness and deaths in farmers, farm families, and farmworkers
• Food insecurity — lack of availability and accessibility
Other
• Transportation and other supply chain problems
Uncertainty of food demands
•
Policy changes
•
Opportunity costs of projects not done
•
• Problem providing childcare or care for other family members
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