All was well in the world, people working 8-5 like usual and businesses were thriving until Covid 19 struck.
Lockdowns world over were implemented and people were stuck at home. Everyone was affected. Covid-19 lockdowns imposed a negative impact on businesses, the youth, rural development and economic growth at large.
Start ups were the most affected during these periods, but as governments across the world’s are starting to lift some lockdown restrictions and protocols.
Businesses are slowly finding their feet although they are still struggling.A lot of Zimbabweans have start ups and small businesses. To keep their businesses afloat they relied on social media be it for meetings or placing orders online.
However, let’s not forget the informal sector that was affected as well as most vendors relied on their produce to be bought so that they can be able to feed their families.
Lockdown restrictions greatly disrupted agricultural marketing activities, reduced access to hired labour services and production especially in rural areas. The cost of hiring day or casual labour dramatically went up.
COVID-19 also significantly affected households’ ability to sell their produce as a result of transportation challenges and the closing of food outlets. As a result drop in local market sales, the ability for farmers to sell produce through national markets was curtailed.
Restrictions also severely affected the ability of buyers and brokers to visit communities to purchase produce directly from farmers. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, local agro-dealers have been running low on supplies leading some to close shop.
Consequently, the price of farm inputs, such as seeds, fertilisers, agrochemicals, and veterinary drugs had rose.
Women and children were also vulnerable during this Covid-19 era as they are most susceptible to abuse and violence. The imposed lockdown did not make the already bad situation any better as most women and children were locked down with their perpetrators, making them easy target.
However, it is during this time that children on holiday started small projects like gardening, selling candy or helping out at home. Women also found an opportunity to pursue income generating projects like poultry, sewing, gardening etcso as to sustain their families.
This Worker’s Day is a true testament that there is power in a union as workers continue to persevere during these difficult times.
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