EADI Virtual Dialogue Series

Speakers from around the world will explore the variety of responses to the pandemic from a multidisciplinary perspective and offer insights into the local realities and lived experiences in different regions

Food chain resilience in India during the covid-19 pandemic, 3 September, 14.00 CET

With Sudha Narayanan: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian government imposed a stringent national lockdown from March 24-May 31 that caused severe disruptions across agrifood supply chains from “farm to fork”. Agrifood markets in India, both in urban and rural areas, constitute a mosaic of diverse actors and tend to be highly fragmented. How did this complex system cope in the wake of lockdown? Read more and register

Tackling the pandemic without doing away with democracy. Europe and its global context, postponed until further notice!

Julia Leininger (German Development Institute) will discuss the political consequences of the Covid19-pandemic. She focuses on the pandemic’s influence on democracies in Europe and the world.
Lockdowns are epidemiological measures, which restrict individual freedoms. While this opens doors to autocratization in some countries, it brings out democratic strengths in other countries. For some time, it has been taken for granted that Europe is a safe haven for democracy. This assumption has been proven wrong for a while. Read more and register

Kerala’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic: key takeaways, 28 September, 13.30 CET (5pm IST)

S.M. Vijayanand (Former Chief Secretary to the Government of Kerala), will provide an overview of Kerala’s response to the covid-19 pandemic in the context of the unique development trajectory of this southern Indian state. With development indicators well above national averages, Kerala has shown remarkable resilience following the outbreak of the pandemic. Read more and register

Lockdown challenges for land reform beneficiaries: South Africa, 15 October, 13.00 CET

With Nkanyiso Gumede, Researcher, Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS). Smallholder farmers and land reform beneficiaries have been greatly affected by the restrictions of movements that took place in South Africa with the declaration of the global pandemic. The reduced mobility for farmers and a drop in demand for produce, resulted in a loss of income. South African's Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development announced a Covid-19 relief fund for South Africa’s smallholder farmers and land reform beneficiaries but concern has been raised about the nature of the support. Read more and register

Domestic Workers' Activism during the Pandemic Crisis in Latin America, 22 October, 11.00 CET

With Louisa Acciari. Latin American domestic workers, a sector mostly comprised of precarious, informal and racialized women, were particularly impacted by the Covid-19 crisis which translated into a massive loss of jobs and revenues, high exposure to risks of contamination and increased rights' violations at the workplace. This presentation will discuss how domestic workers have been organising and resisting against this social, economic and health crisis while facing a drastic lack of state support. Read more and register

Communities' Responses in Peru, 3 November, 15.00 CET

With Liliana Miranda.In Peru the pandemic is hitting urban populations hard, deepening profound inequalities and revealing the fragility of public policies. Lack of urban planning and social housing policies result in illnesses, deaths and economic losses. At the same time, social organization, and peasant communities in particular, are teaching a lesson on how to respond and protect themselves. Read more and register