Daily Archives: May 26, 2020

Pandemics and Hunger: Lessons from the 1918 Pandemic in India

Posted on by

It wasn’t the influenza virus alone, but the agricultural exploitation imposed by colonialism which devastated India in 1918

A patient treatment and isolation ward in Bombay. Image: Narratives of the Bombay Plague via Outlook

A patient treatment and isolation ward in Bombay. Image: Narratives of the Bombay Plague via Outlook

As government-imposed lockdowns against the COVID-19 global pandemic have brought much of the world to a stand-still, the question of food has assumed central importance. This is often framed in terms of food provision as an essential service which is being disrupted by restrictions at various stages of the commodity chain. That is, a question of maintaining transportation of food commodities while limiting the movement of consumers and labour. However, such an analysis ignores that there was already a food crisis for many prior to the pandemic. It also leaves unquestioned the role of capitalism in producing populations vulnerable to global crises. 

The national lockdown in India is causing concern over an impending food crisis, as transportation networks and labour supply are impacted. Similarly, working peoples in Pakistan are experiencing the strain of increased prices of food staples like rice, sugar, and pulses. This is despite a drop in international prices of diesel, pulses, edible oils, and tea. Lockdowns in Pakistan are similarly interrupting the transportation of food commodities. As the wheat harvest is upon us, there is a labour shortage as landless workers stay home while others feel empowered to demand higher day wages from landlords. 

While there is reason to be concerned about the impending food crisis, we also need to ask: for whom will there be a crisis? More importantly, what do we mean by a food crisis? 

One could argue that a food crisis was already underway prior to the novel coronavirus arriving in the subcontinent. The 2018 Pakistan National Nutrition Survey found that 36.9% of the population experiences food insecurity, probably an underestimate in itself. The Food and Agriculture Organization reports that 14.5% and 20.3% of the population is undernourished in India and Pakistan, respectively.

Continue reading →