The role of staple crop production during the Covid-19 outbreak. Evidence for women small producers in Senegal

The Covid-19 outbreak has negatively affected the agri-food system especially in developingcountries where most people rely on agriculture. Using primary data, we study the role of staplecrop production as a coping strategy during the Covid-19 outbreak. Using a linear probabilitymodel, this article assesses the effect of income and food security deterioration perceived asa consequence of Covid-19 on rice investment propensity among 1320 women rice producers inCasamance, Senegal. Our results show that food security deterioration and especially incomereduction due to Covid-19 are significantly and positively related to rice investment propensity.The presence of food retailers and the type of household livelihood, farm or nonfarm, dramaticallydrive the Covid-19 perception effects on rice investment propensity. While women small producersin villages with food retailers slightly increase their propensity to invest in rice, in remote villageslacking food retailers rice production represents an effective coping strategy for those womenliving in households that depend to a large extent on the market, i.e. those relying on nonfarmincome. These results are supported by the strong correlation between limited physical access tothe market, due to movement restrictions, and rice investment propensity, especially amonghouseholds relying on nonfarm income.