Geography

Race, gender, and education inequalities in food supply chain disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Pandemic-related disruptions tend to exacerbate socio-economic inequalities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, governments sought to support businesses that might suffer disproportionately from such disruptions. Drawing upon a survey of business owners/managers across multiple US regions and food supply chain segments, supplemented by focus groups and interviews, we examine how different demographic characteristics (educational level, gender, and race/ethnicity) correlated with changes in business revenues and variations in access to public and private financial assistance during 2020. Our study shows that all businesses tended to lose revenue that year when compared to a typical year. But those that were owned by minorities, and particularly minorities with no more than secondary education, were significantly more likely to experience smaller losses of revenue, all else being equal. There is no evidence of race/ethnicity and education effects in whether businesses received financial assistance, but there is clear evidence that women-owned businesses sought to apply for financial assistance significantly less in the first place. To account for these results, we discuss hypotheses of ethnic enclave effects, gender and entrepreneurship, and distinction between skills and credentials in discussion of levels of education. We conclude with reflections on policy strategies to reduce socio-economic inequality in food systems.

Publication Title

Agriculture and Human Values

Publication Date

2026

Volume

43

Issue

3

ISSN

0889-048X

DOI

10.1007/s10460-026-10907-4

Keywords

education, ethnic enclave, food supply chain, gender, mixed methods, socio-economic inequality

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS