Mali’s Rural-Urban Gap in Food Security Vanished Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic

The 2020 International Food Security Assessment (IFSA) published by the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) highlights an increase in food insecurity around the world associated with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Recent updates to the IFSA report suggest the number of food-insecure people increased by 160 million in 2020, corresponding with a 21 percent increase in the share of the global population who are food insecure amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sub-Saharan African country of Mali is one of the 76 countries included in the IFSA. Mali is home to roughly 20 million people, and about 42 percent live below the poverty line, according to the World Bank. Many households in Mali, particularly in rural areas, experience food insecurity. Indeed, before the pandemic, measured levels of food insecurity were higher in Mali’s rural areas compared with urban areas.