Aside from the health/mortality effects of the pandemic in Nigeria, the seemingly clearer effect is the impact of the social distancing and lockdown measures on the economy. How people make a living and access markets is impacted by covid-19 across the Niger Delta region. These disruptions are driven primarily by restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the virus. There are emerging signs of the negative impact of covid-19 on nutrition and food security including local food production and the informal economy’s food marketing system. This report contributes to a better picture of how covid-19 and measures to contain the virus are impacting livelihoods, especially those of the vulnerable households, food security and access to markets in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. This policy brief which focuses on the effects of covid-19 containment measures on local food farmers in Delta State is the first of a series of policy briefs prepared from the findings of the study. The remaining part of this policy brief is divided into two parts. The first section summarises the key findings of the study with respect to local food production activities while the second section outline some actionable recommendations, especially in the context of emerging second wave of covid-19 in Nigeria which could lead to further lockdown strategies.
