The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has recently published a report titled ‘The Impact of Disaster on Agriculture and Food Security’. The report takes a deep dive into the severe effect of disasters on the agriculture sector over the last half-century.
The increasing frequency of Extreme Disasters
In the past 50 years, there has been a significant surge in the number of extreme disaster events. These are situations that have severe implications on the agriculture sector, impacting crop cultivation, livestock handling, forestry, and aquaculture. There has also been an analysis of how these risks interplay with other underlying conditions like climate change, pandemics, epidemics, and armed conflicts.
Magnitude of Agricultural Losses
Over the past three decades, an estimated USD 3.8 trillion worth of crops and livestock production has been lost due to disasters. This amounts to an average annual loss of USD 123 billion, which is roughly equal to 5% of the global agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP). With its profound dependence on climate and natural resources, agriculture is highly susceptible to disasters, which can further threaten food security and sustainability.
Impact on Different Countries
Disasters affect lower-income and lower-middle-income countries the most, causing losses up to 15% of their total agricultural GDP. Small Island Development States also experience notable losses, nearly 7% of their agricultural GDP.
Losses by Product Groups
There have been increasing trends in losses related to major agricultural products. Cereals bear the brunt, followed by fruits, vegetables, and sugar crops, with losses running in millions of tonnes annually. Animal products such as meats, dairy products, and eggs also face substantial losses.
Regional Differences and increase in Disasters
Asia experiences the majority of total economic losses, followed by Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The frequency of disaster events has spiked dramatically, from 100 per year in the 1970s to around 400 events per year over the past two decades.
Impact on Vulnerable Groups
Small-scale farmers, especially those involved in rain-fed agriculture, are most at risk. Adopting farm-level disaster risk reduction practices can help minimize losses and bolster resilience.
The Recommendations
The report recommends proactive, timely interventions such as anticipatory actions in response to forecasted hazards, which can significantly alleviate disaster risks in agriculture. It also outlines three key areas for improving the agriculture sector’s disaster resilience: better data gathering, multi-sectoral disaster risk reduction strategies, and increased investment in resilience.
About the Food and Agriculture Organization
The FAO is a specialized UN agency leading international efforts to battle hunger. Its initiatives include monitoring global desert locust situations and the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS). The FAO also publishes several flagship publications that provide insights into different aspects of world agriculture.
The alarming increase in agricultural losses due to disasters has necessitated urgent action. With reports like these, we get valuable insights into possible mitigation strategies and can work towards making our agriculture systems more resilient.