Response to the COVID-19 sanitary contingency: The case of artisanal cheese makers in Central México

Abstract

The emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted governments to implement prevention alternatives that substantially altered the economic context worldwide. International organizations foresaw a catastrophic impact on all sectors, including agri-food systems. In Mexico, the restrictions implied the closing of markets and highways. Then foreseeing an impact on agri-food systems had to be documented. This article takes the case of the artisanal cheese producers in Central Mexico. Semi-structured interviews were applied during the second phase of the pandemic about the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on the milk-cheese production chain and the tourism sector to which it is linked. The response of the cheese-making families to the contingency was the implementation of Short Marketing Circuits as a dual strategy, which mitigated the economic impact on the milk-cheese chain and generated value for their products by disseminating local food consumption. Thus for artisanal cheese producers, the pandemic has not been a constraint but rather an opportunity that demonstrates their resilience through their ability to redirect the trade of cheeses.