Peasant Households and Pandemic Viral Diseases

Outbreaks of infectious diseases are particularly devastating for developing countries and the poor: they deplete, through premature death and morbidity the primary asset of the poor – their labour – in economies with the least developed health care systems. This study examines how peasant households, who are simultaneously producers and consumers, might adapt to the impact of a pandemic. The analyses indicate that the dual role of peasant households allows them to mitigate some of the adverse impacts of a coronavirus pandemic, and thereby offset some of the economic effects. Critical to this is the ability of peasant households to transfer labour between agricultural activities and social reproduction; and this happens whenever in the year a pandemic occurs. But it is noteworthy that the changes in consumption and production patterns differ according to the timing of the pandemic.