The Potential Impact of COVID-19 on the Asian Rural Economy: A Study Based on Asian Countries

Abstract

In the aftermath of the recent outbreak of COVID-19, which has adversely affected rural economies across Asia, challenges of unprecedented proportions have now arisen as a result. Currently, it is pertinent to look in depth and critically at the impact of the pandemic on rural economies now. However, most previous studies ignore the above-mentioned research gap. This is especially critical to marginalized populations living on limited resources, small landowners, and migrant workers who earn low wages in an economy where fewer resources are available. There is also imperative to identify solutions that would enable member states to quickly reconstruct the rural economy sector in a sustainable way. Hence, to explore the effect of COVID-19 on the rural economies of the Asia region, we adopt a qualitative research approach. Based on this technique, our findings suggest that one of the solutions to increasing the resilience of the rural economy is the automation of the rural economy in a sustainable manner. Particularly, our findings indicate that the adoption of a sustainable and inclusive approach to automating the rural economy can enhance efficiency and speed at each stage of the supply chain. Moreover, our findings suggest that it is possible to take many measures to maximize the contribution of sustainable rural economy automation efforts. These can contribute to the recovery and resilience of the rural economy sector. Based on the above findings we provide theoretical and practical implications.