Assessing impacts on and resilience to food insecurity amid the Covid-19 lockdowns in Nigeria

As of the end of May 2020, there have been over 9000 cases and over 260 deaths from Covid-19 in Nigeria and cases have been rising quickly in recent weeks. To prevent the spread of the virus, governments in multiple states have imposed lockdowns. While lockdowns may be crucial for disease prevention and control, they also disrupt food systems and economic activity and may have devastating impacts on vulnerable households. This analysis will utilize data from the Nigerian General Household Survey and the LSMS-ISA high-frequency phone surveys on Covid-19 to understand the impacts of the Covid-19 lockdowns in Nigeria on household food insecurity. We will assess trends in household food insecurity before and during the Covid-19 pandemic; estimate the impact of the Covid-19 lockdowns on household food insecurity using a difference-in-difference design; and explore whether household characteristics related to resilience modify the impact of the lockdowns on household food insecurity using triple difference models. The results will help policymakers understand how measures to prevent and control Covid-19 influence livelihoods and will inform future efforts to increase resilience to food insecurity during crises.