What is it about?
This research examines how vulnerable households in India coped with food insecurity during COVID-19. It documents the range of strategies families adopted —from adjusting meals and cutting food diversity, to borrowing money, skipping meals, and delaying medical expenditures. It also examines the role of social networks and government food support, particularly the Public Distribution System, to stress their importance in coping with disruptions.
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Why is it important?
Crises like COVID-19 do not affect everyone equally; they both expose existing inequalities and can potentially exacerbate them. This research shows that a household's ability to cope depended less on income loss, and more on what support systems they could access. For migrant workers, especially the more recent/circular migrants, these support systems weren't available because they were not able to register for local allotments nor access local social networks. As climate shocks, disease outbreaks, and economic disruptions become more frequent, understanding these gaps is essential going forward so that policies can be designed to reach the most vulnerable before households are forced into choices with lasting consequences.
Perspectives
The paper highlights how the most vulnerable are sometimes unable to access support that is perceived as universally available. To prepare for future disruptions, it is essential to account for and support mobile populations. Migration is no longer a choice; it is a survival strategy and an everyday reality. State policies must reflect this reality.
charumita vasudev
Lancaster University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Diverse coping strategies for food insecurity: A qualitative study of economically precarious households in India in the context of COVID-19, PLOS One, June 2026, PLOS,
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0350020.
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