<p>The implementation of social restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic has had profound effects on individuals’ livelihoods, particularly among farming households. The agricultural sector has experienced significant disruption, resulting in direct implications for the livelihood assets of farming households. This paper aims to evaluate the degree of livelihood resilience and the adaptive cycle of farming households in Tegowanu Subdistrict, Grobogan Regency, Central Java Province, Indonesia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from 101 farming households across 18 villages were collected. The Livelihood Resilience Index was employed to assess the degree of livelihood resilience while the panarchy cycle was utilized to explain the resilience system. The findings indicate that prior to the pandemic in 2019, financial capital had the lowest level of resilience. Conversely, during the pandemic in 2022, both natural and social capital demonstrated lower levels of resilience. The farmers went through two distinct cycles of adaptive resilience between September 2019 and April 2022. Each cycle exhibited a duration of about four months. Farming households progressively initiated the recovery process through the adoption of an intercropping agricultural system. The study found that the adoption of a social restriction policy has resulted in a decrease in the level of livelihood resilience among farming households, transitioning from a high to a medium level. Consequently, they have been compelled to acquire the necessary skills to cope through the application of the adaptive cycle. This implies the need for future endeavors to enhance resilience levels and reduce the vulnerability of farmers’ livelihood.</p>