The impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on consumer access to organic food in San José, Costa Rica

The impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on consumer access to organic food in San José, Costa Rica

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22458/urj.v13i2.3478

Keywords:

Food security, Farmers markets, Smallholders, Agroecology, Pandemic, Organic agriculture

Abstract

Introduction: The Covid-19 pandemic has led to increased awareness of food security in urban areas and to the role of farmers’ markets in providing essential services to consumers. Objective: To better understand how Covid-19 affected consumer access to organic food at two major organic farmers’ markets in the Costa Rican metropolitan area. Methods: In April 2020 after the strict Costa Rica lockdown, 52 organic market consumers completed online questionnaires regarding their purchasing and consumption patterns. Results: The majority of participants reported decreasing or stopping visits to organic markets (81%). The most frequent source of food during the pandemic was large supermarkets (52%) followed by online or direct delivery from farmers (15%). The majority of participants reported less access to organic products since the onset of the pandemic (71%). Conclusion: Covid-19 has impacted access to organic food at farmer’s markets; recommendations include greater support for direct and online delivery of organic products to increase access to health food.

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Published

2021-07-12

How to Cite

Sylvester, O. (2021). The impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on consumer access to organic food in San José, Costa Rica. UNED Research Journal, 13(2), e3478. https://doi.org/10.22458/urj.v13i2.3478

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Case study
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