Impact of COVID-19 policy measures on food insecurity among urban residents in Blantyre City, Malawi

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Abstract Malawi, a vulnerable country in Sub Saharan Africa is at the helm of experiencing food insecure amidst COVID-19 as the vast majority survives on the hand-to-mouth economy. However, knowledge about how COVID-19 policy measures leads to food insecurity among the urban residents in Malawi is limited or scanty. Understanding this link is crucial for designing the interventions that can help reduce the risk of being food insecure while containing further spread of the virus. Our study explores the nexus between COVID-19 policy measures and food insecurity as experienced by Blantyre residents in Malawi. We interviewed fifteen participants composed of private secondary school teachers and informal workers to understand their experiences of food insecurity linked to COVID-19 policy measures in place by the Malawi government. Our results show that participants face difficulties to access adequate food and have also changed their eating habits by skipping meals in some days as a result of closing night clubs, bars, and schools, restricting public gatherings, and reducing passengers boarding minibus. Therefore, we argue that the COVID-19 policies in place by the Malawi government aggravates the severe challenges to access enough food rendering urban residents vulnerable to food insecurity.

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