We are gathering data on how COVID-19 is affecting farmers to inform policy-makers and program design

A lack of systematic and reliable data on the evolving needs of smallholder communities acts as a significant constraint for policymakers in mounting an effective and targeted response to the crisis. 

To address this information deficit, and to inform ongoing program design and content development, PAD is conducting a multi-country phone survey to understand how the pandemic is affecting agricultural production, food security and behaviour. In addition, we will collect data from agro-dealers in a subset of countries to monitor the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on agricultural supply chains. Data and findings will be published on our website, contingent on obtaining the necessary approvals. 

Specific research focus areas include:

1. Current conditions in agricultural markets and the extent of disruptions experienced by farmers and agro-dealers, including changes in market access, prices, and goods availability;
2. Farmers’ food security and changes in food availability; 
3. The availability of information about coronavirus and related public health advice, as well as farmers’ responses to that information; and
4. The impact of COVID-19 on in-person extension systems (in Pakistan only).

Current Data Collection Activities:

PAD is currently conducting survey operations in India (three sub-national states), Pakistan, and Kenya. We plan to conduct panel data collection in selected locations and anticipate that data collection activities will span the period April 2020 – October 2020, and that additional countries and/or sub-national entities will be added following the fulfillment of review procedures and the commitment of funding. 

Sampling targets: 

• 1,000 farmers per week in India; 
• 1,000 crop farmers, 100 dairy farmers and 500 agro-dealers in the first round of our survey in Kenya; and 
• 300 Agriculture Officers (extension agents) and Field Assistants in Pakistan.

We are currently in advanced talks to expand data collection activities in several countries in Asia and Africa. 

Survey Instruments and Protocols:

• Survey Instrument India – Farmer
• Survey Instrument Kenya – Crop Farmer
• Survey Instrument Kenya – Dairy Farmer
• Survey Instrument Kenya – Agro-dealer
• PAD COVID-19 Phone Survey Protocol
• PAD COVID-19 Survey Data Management Plan

Kenya C19 survey data

• Agrodealers:
  • COVID19 Kenya R1 Agrodealer PublicData (.csv file)
  • COVID19 Kenya R1 Agrodealer PublicData (.dta file)
  • COVID19 Kenya R1 Agrodealer Codebook (.csv file)
  • COVID19 Kenya R2 Agrodealer Codebook and Data (Zip file)
  • COVID19 Kenya R3 Agrodealer Codebook and Data (Zip file)
• Crop Farmers:
  • COVID19 Kenya R1 CropFarmer PublicData (.csv file)
  • COVID19 Kenya R1 CropFarmer PublicData (.dta file)
  • COVID19 Kenya R1 CropFarmer Codebook (.csv file)
  • COVID19 Kenya R2 CropFarmer Codebook and Data (Zip file)
  • COVID19 Kenya R3 CropFarmer Codebook and Data (Zip file)
• Dairy Farmers
  • COVID19 Kenya R1 Dairy Farmer PublicData (.csv file)
  • COVID19 Kenya R1 DairyFarmer PublicData (.dta file)
  • COVID19 Kenya R1 DairyFarmer Codebook (.csv file)

Partnerships

We are grateful for our ongoing collaboration with state government partners in India, the Provincial Government of Punjab, Pakistan, and the Ministry of Agriculture in Kenya; our research partnership with the Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP); and the Kenya Markets Trust, International Growth Center, Instiglio, and the Global Development Incubator in support of these data collection activities.