ABSTRACT
Context
Resilience is the
ability to deal with shocks and stresses, including the unknown and previously unimaginable, such as the Covid-19 crisis.
Objective:
This
paper assesses (i) how different
farming systems were exposed to the crisis, (ii) which
resilience capacities were revealed and (iii) how
resilience was enabled or constrained by the
farming systems' social and institutional
environment.
Methods:
The 11
farming systems included have been analysed since 2017. This allows a comparison of pre-Covid-19 findings and the Covid-19 crisis. Pre-Covid findings are from the SURE-
Farm systematic sustainability and
resilience assessment. For Covid-19 a special
data collection was carried out during the early stage of lockdowns. Results and
conclusions:
Our
case studies found limited impact of Covid-19 on the
production and delivery of
food and other agricultural products. This was due to either little exposure or the agile activation of robustness capacities of the
farming systems in combination with an enabling institutional
environment. Revealed capacities were mainly based on already existing connectedness among
farmers and more broadly in value chains. Across cases, the experience of the crisis triggered reflexivity about the operation of the
farming systems. Recurring topics were the need for shorter chains, more fairness towards
farmers, and less dependence on
migrant workers. However, actors in the
farming systems and the enabling
environment generally focused on the immediate issues and gave little real consideration to long-term implications and challenges. Hence, adaptive or transformative capacities were much less on display than coping capacities. The comparison with pre-Covid findings mostly showed similarities. If challenges, such as shortage of labour, already loomed before, they persisted during the crisis. Furthermore, the eminent
role of
resilience attributes was confirmed. In cases with high connectedness and diversity we found that these system characteristics contributed significantly to dealing with the crisis. Also the focus on coping capacities was already visible before the crisis. We are not sure yet whether the focus on short-term robustness just reflects the higher visibility and urgency of shocks compared to slow processes that undermine or threaten important system functions, or whether they betray an imbalance in
resilience capacities at the expense of adaptability and transformability.
Significance:
Our
analysis indicates that if transformations are required, e.g. to respond to concerns about transnational value chains and
future pandemics from zoonosis, the transformative capacity of many
farming systems
needs to be actively enhanced through an enabling
environment.