COVID-19-induced disruptions of school feeding services exacerbate food insecurity in Nigeria

COVID-19 has disrupted programs that assist vulnerable populations worldwide. In addition to education, schools provide daily meals and other services that many families depend on; when schools closed during the pandemic, those services ceased. Kibrom Abay and colleagues explore the food security consequences of school closures in Nigeria, using household survey and local government area data. Pre-COVID food security benefits for households from school feeding disappeared after schools were closed. The findings show a gap in current food security safety nets for vulnerable populations that rely on schools, suggesting that alternate options should be considered as the risk of pandemics and other shocks rises.—John McDermott, series co-editor and Director, CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH).