COVID-19 in artisanal and small-scale mining communities - Preliminary results from a global rapid data collection exercise

Jul 19, 2026

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Early in 2020, limited reports described how COVID-19 restrictions affected informal artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) and their strategic mineral supply chains. A World Bank-led effort sought a more accurate picture of impacts on ASM community development trajectories. Researchers conducted standardized telephone surveys bi-weekly across 22 countries covering nine minerals, collecting 3,400+ responses. The findings indicate ASM continues to provide livelihoods, yet remains insufficiently integrated into sustainable development discussions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

Introduction

Study background and need for rapid evidence

Survey design across countries and minerals

Key inquiry areas and collected responses

Preliminary findings and policy implications

Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Environmental Science and Policy 121 (2021) 37–41 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Environmental Science and Policy journal [homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/envsci](homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/envsci) | COVID-19 in artisanal and small-scale mining communities: Preliminary results from a global rapid data collection exercise | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Rachel Perksa, *, Nathan Schneck<br>a World Bank, United States b Pact, United States | | b | | | | A R T I C L E I N F O | | | A B S T R A C T | | | Keywords: COVID-19<br>Artisanal and small-scale mining Global data collection exercise Africa<br>Asia<br>South America Gender | | | As early as March 2020, anecdotal reports and some news stories began trickling in about COVID-19 related restrictions and their impacts on strategic mineral supply chains, and the miners who labor in the informal mining sector. However, these reports were few and far between. Imperative was the need for a more accurate and comprehensive picture of the situation, should development partners wish to respond rapidly and accurately to the possible crisis developing in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). The World Bank, along with a range of development partners,1 set out to understand how COVID-19 is influencing the development trajectories of select ASM communities (Delve, 2020a). By way of a standardized short questionnaire administered by telephone, researchers conducted rapid surveys on a bi-weekly basis with miners in ASM communities spread across 22 countries (Delve, 2020a) and mining a total of nine minerals.2 The questionnaire contained seven main areas of inquiry: (i) knowledge on COVID-19 and its prevention; (ii) access to work; (iii) food security; (iv) human security; (v) service delivery; (vi) supply chains; and (vii) recovery perspectives. More than 3400 responses were gathered over the full data collection period, providing rich snapshots of the impacts being felt by mining communities. The results, as discussed in this viewpoint piece, suggest that whilst ASM continues to offer important livelihoods, even amidst crisis such as COVID-19, the sector is yet to be fully integrated into sustainable development discussions. Formalization, a broad term to capture efforts to strengthen the legitimacy of ASM, is at a critical juncture where the disruption brought about by the global pandemic could yield new, vibrant and promising measures to further support the growth and sustainability of this important global productive sector. | | 1. Introduction It is now more than a year into the global COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, we have come to understand COVID-19 not only as a worldwide public health concern but also the cause of an international economic crisis that could surpass the global financial crisis of 2008–2009. Recent calculations by the World Bank indicate that COVID- 19 will likely cause the first increase of global poverty since 1988, pushing 70 to 100 million people into extreme poverty (Mahler et al., 2020). Containment and mitigation measures are necessary to limit the spread of the virus and save lives. However, this comes at a cost as shutdowns imply a reduction in economic activity. These human and economic costs are likely to be felt the most in developing countries. Here, COVID-19 will have an immediate and amplified impact on the poorest and most vulnerable regions. The impact on state income and surge of unemployment will likely lead to an increase in migration and a ‘distress-push’ (Hilson and Garforth, 2012) of workers into the informal economy, which represents 90 % of total * Corresponding author. E-mail address: [forperks@gmail.com](forperks@gmail.com) (R. Perks). 1 Partner organizations: Agere Treasures (Ethiopia), Alliance for Responsible Mining (Burkina Faso), Artisanal and Small Scale Mining National Federation of Mongolia (Mongolia), Ter

FAQs

Why was a global rapid data collection exercise conducted for ASM communities during COVID-19?

A clearer and more comprehensive understanding was needed because initial anecdotal and news reports were sparse. The goal was to capture impacts accurately for rapid development partner responses.

How was the data collected and across how many places and minerals?

Researchers used a standardized short telephone questionnaire and conducted bi-weekly rapid surveys with miners in ASM communities across 22 countries, covering a total of nine minerals.

What areas did the questionnaire investigate?

It covered knowledge of COVID-19 and prevention, access to work, food security, human security, service delivery, supply chains, and recovery perspectives.

Jul 19, 2026

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