This research brief presents the key findings of a household food security survey conducted in Quito in early 2023. The findings provide valuable insights into how households in Quito experienced food security challenges during and after the pandemic, laying the foundation for further research on post-pandemic recovery in urban settings in Ecuador. This study underscores […]
This study examines the food insecurity experiences of Venezuelan migrants in Quito, Ecuador, within the broader context of the Venezuelan crisis, regional migration responses, and the structural precarity migrants face. Moving beyond the dominant “migration crisis” narrative, this paper adopts a crisis-living framework to analyze how protracted instability and pandemic precarity shape migrants’ experiences. Based
This research brief is based on a survey of almost 800 migrants and refugees residing in Quito, and seeks to systematically analyse the experiences of Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Ecuador by focusing on three main areas: identification of labour conditions affecting Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Ecuador during and following the pandemic; evaluation of
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted Venezuelan migrants in Ecuador, exacerbating their vulnerabilities due to restrictive containment measures, socioeconomic instability, and barriers to healthcare and basic services. This paper examines the intersection of pandemic-related restrictions, migrant precarity, and state responses, highlighting the disproportionate effects on urban Venezuelan migrants. Key challenges included irregular migration pathways, increased food
Venezuelan Migration and COVID-19 Response Measures in Urban Areas of Ecuador Read More »
This research brief discusses the interrelationship of these factors, focusing on how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the food security of Venezuelan migrants in Quito, Ecuador. This qualitative study uses an intersectional perspective and Photovoice methodology to address the experiences of migrants in three temporalities: before, during, and after the pandemic.
This research brief examines the structural challenges faced by Venezuelan migrant families with children and adolescents in accessing food in Quito, Ecuador. Our survey of 788 migrant and refugee families found that the prevalence of informal employment, the unequal distribution of household chores between genders, the breakdown of community and family support networks, as well
The COVID-19 pandemic had profound effects on Ecuador, exacerbated by pre-existing weaknesses in the public health system, economic austerity policies, and social inequalities. The reliance on containment measures, combined with insufficient social support, resulted in severe economic and social decline. Migrants, already a vulnerable group, were further marginalized during the pandemic, facing exclusion from social
Impacts of COVID-19 Policy Measures on Migration and Food Security in Ecuador Read More »
Drawing on a broad notion of informality, conceptually linked to the category of the popular, this study aims to examine the case of Ecuador, in order to understand how migrants are inserted in the informal food market in Quito. We are interested in establishing a dialogue with the popular economies approach, to interrogate different types
Beyond Informality: Migrants in the Popular Food Economy in Quito Read More »
Strategies to mitigate the public health impacts of COVID-19 have led to a secondary pandemic of global food insecurity. Our project will ‘scale up’ our First Round CIHR Grant on the negative impacts of COVID-19 on household food security in Wuhan and Nanjing, China to three additional cities: Quito (Ecuador), Cape Town (South Africa) and
The proposed research will identify the immediate and longer-term impact of COVID-19 on household food security in cities, and will assess and improve fast-evolving social and policy countermeasures to enhance food security. Our research objectives are to: 1) Investigate the immediate food security challenges resulting from quarantine measures, unstable food supply, and fear of shopping
