Impacts of COVID-19 on ASM
Impacts of COVID-19 on ASM
The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant detrimental impacts on the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector worldwide. It has caused supply chain disruptions that have impacted large - and small-scale mineral sectors alike, and has resulted in a drop in both production and income for huge numbers of artisanal miners, many of whom do not have the capital to be resilient against such shocks.
Against this backdrop, and knowing the importance of reliable data for understanding the challenges that faced artisanal miners, Levin Sources participated in a study looking at the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). As part of the World Bank-funded Delve Impact Reporting Initiative, we conducted interviews from May – July 2020 with both artisanal miners and key sector stakeholders in the DRC, Mozambique, Uganda and Zimbabwe. With a focus on gold and construction minerals, data was collected from miners every two weeks over a ten-week period, in order to understand how the impacts of the pandemic were changing for miners over time. Approximately thirty to forty mine site respondents were interviewed by telephone in each country, using a remote survey designed by Delve. Data was collected on a number of key topics, including health and safety (related to COVID-19), gender issues, physical security, food security, government support and engagement and how miner’s production, markets and supply chains were impacted by the pandemic and related restrictions.
Our key findings have been documented in a series of blogs, showcasing our results in each country, as well as a special edition on the gendered impacts of COVID – how the pandemic has impacted women artisanal miners in particular.
View the blogs created by Levin Sources staff and our in country associates.
https://www.levinsources.com/knowledge-centre/insights/asm-covid-19-government-response
https://www.levinsources.com/knowledge-centre/insights/impacts-covid-19-asm-mozambique
https://www.levinsources.com/knowledge-centre/insights/impacts-covid-19-women-asm
Jane Barnett, December 2020