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Paper short abstract:

This research aimed to assess how the closure of schools due to COVID-19 affected the production and sale of agricultural produce of farmers who were involved in the school feeding programme; what other markets served as an alternative for the marketing of produce.

Paper long abstract:

This research aimed to assess how the closure of schools due to COVID-19 affected the production and sale of agricultural produce of farmers who were involved in the school feeding programme; what other markets served as an alternative for the marketing of produce; what constraints they had in accessing these alternative markets; and what type of support was mobilised. For this study we collected data from farmers who supplied food products to schools through the project Agroecological practices and participatory marketing as a tool for school nutrition and community safety for rural populations on the islands of Santo Antão and Fogo residing on the islands of Fogo and Santo Antão. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews. In addition to the interviews, we also collected and analysed the news disseminated online by the Cabo Verdean press during the period of confinement. We conclude that farmers on the islands of Fogo and Santo Antão faced different challenges during the emergency and school closure period due to the pandemic of COVID19. In Fogo, farmers produce mainly rain-fed crops such as maize, beans and fruits such as apples, peaches and grapes. With the closure of schools, farmers opted to increase the time of drying and storage of products. The island of Santo Antão is a region of predominantly irrigated vegetable production.