Epidemics like HIV/AIDS, Ebola and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) have had negative impacts on food and nutrition security. For example, when the Ebola epidemic hit Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in 2014, rice prices in those countries increased by more than 30 percent and the price of cassava, a staple in Liberia, skyrocketed by 150 percent.
In this opinion, Fan Shenggen (China Agricultural University) calls for urgent actions at the global and country levels to prevent food security crisis under COVID-19 emergency : closely monitor food prices and markets, ensure international and national agricultural and food supply chains function normally, ensure social safety nets, enhance investment to build more resilient food system, keep global trade open.
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