The coronavirus pandemic and food security: Evidence from Mali

•We estimate changes in experienced food insecurity associated with the coronavirus pandemic.•We combine pre-pandemic survey data with follow-up phone survey data from Mali.•Prior to the pandemic rural households were more likely to experience food insecurity.•Three months after the onset of the pandemic, the rural–urban gap in food insecurity vanished.•Understanding heterogeneity in changes in food insecurity is critical to post-pandemic policy.