LOCAL agriculture industry stakeholders in a United Nations online forum on Wednesday said Filipino farmers, including women farmers, had to face more challenges during the pandemic that pointed to the need to provide more financial support to them.

Speaking at the 'Beyond the Plate: Reinventing Food Systems Session 3-Strengthening the Livelihood Resilience of Food Producers' virtual event, Cherrie Atilano, president and founding member of AGREA, recalled the wide range of challenges in the food supply chain following the imposition of lockdowns to contain Covid-19. Some of these include post-harvest losses and food wastage due to lack of cold chain facilities, as well as supply chain disruptions because of travel restrictions, among others.