Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Rural Livelihoods in Zambia: A Gender and Wellbeing Perspective

The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures to contain it have induced livelihood struggles in rural economies, but livelihood impacts across gender and wellbeing remain under-researched. This report explores gendered impacts of COVID-19 on rural livelihoods and implications for wellbeing in rural Zambia. Research design and methodology: The study uses a 3-D Objective, Relational and Subjective theoretical perspective of wellbeing. This enabled exploration of objectively quantifiable and verifiable elements, needs and aspirations of households (material), role and importance of social connections and relationships that shaped or constrained livelihoods (relational) and people's perceptions about whether their livelihood needs were being met in view of national policy responses (subjective elements). Using mixed methods research design, data was drawn from multi-level interviews and focus group discussions. We deployed household surveys which were followed by intra-household case study interviews as pathway to interrogating intra household COVID-19 and livelihood dynamics.