From prevention to building back better

In 2007, 414 disasters associated with natural hazards were recorded, costing more than 16 000 lives, and affecting over 234 million people. The number and scale of disasters are likely to increase due to climate change, urban concentration, environmental degradation and globalization.  

The challenge is to reduce exposure to risk, increase the resilience and capacity of countries, and contribute to operations that foster transition from relief to recovery of food and agricultural systems.

Often the people most severely affected live in rural areas, although disruption of these systems can have serious consequences for both urban and rural populations. The resource-poor are most vulnerable.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) helps countries prevent, mitigate, prepare for and respond to emergencies. FAO focuses on:

• strengthening capacity for disaster preparedness and ability to mitigate impact of emergencies affecting food security and productivity of rural populations
• forecasting and providing early warning of adverse conditions in the food and agricultural sectors, and of impending food security emergencies
• assessing needs and devising programmes which help transition from relief to reconstruction and development, and build on national and household resilience rather than external inputs
• improving analysis of underlying causes of a crisis, emphasizing collection and use of information to design evidence-based food security policies
• strengthening local capacities to cope with risks through agricultural practices, technologies and support services, to reduce vulnerability and increase resilience

FAO works on sudden and slow-onset disasters, as well as protracted crises, including:

• climate-related and geological hazards
• transboundary pests and animal diseases
• chemical hazards and radiological release
• complex emergencies