Title : International experiences of the pandemic and the agri-food sector: Reconversion as an option
Abstract:
COVID-19 (coronavirus) plunges the world economy into the worst recession since World War II. As a result of severe distortions to domestic supply and demand, trade, and finance, economic activity in advanced economies is expected to contract by 7% in 2020. The world's agricultural economies of the main countries that produce Basic grains (corn, soybeans) are being altered (USA, China, Brazil, Argentina). For the remaining agricultural countries, it is an opportunity for agricultural reconversion. The reconversion of crops refers to the change of product or activity that allows a better use of the soil, favors its fertility and breaks the biological cycles of pests and diseases to have an effective control and prevent them from becoming immune or resistant. Therefore, this change, whether of product or activity, represents greater economic profitability and social viability for the producer, because comparative and competitive advantages are taken advantage of, and products with value can be offered in the internal and external markets. The types of conversion that can be carried out are: change from an annual crop to another of the same cycle; change from annual crops to perennials, for example, in the area of cultivation that was destined for cereal to establish in its place a certain fruit tree, another example is when annual seasonal crops are intercropped by grasslands. Likewise, there may be shift changes between the different productive sectors, for example, when moving from an agricultural activity to a livestock or from a livestock to a forestry one.
