FAO launches landmark report on 'Integrated flood management for resilient agrifood systems and rural development’ at COP28. Read more!
Addressing the global water crisis which is exacerbated by climate change – water scarcity, droughts, floods and water pollution – is essential to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In an effort to address the challenges posed by flooding in rural areas, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has launched a technical report entitled 'Integrated flood management for resilient agrifood systems and rural development'. The report provides a comprehensive perspective on the impact of flooding in rural areas and proposes integrated solutions that offer multiple long-term benefits for people and nature. The recommendations set out in the report aim to improve flood resilience in rural areas.
The report recognizes flooding as a natural phenomenon that is essential to the health of rivers. Seasonal floods transport materials such as rocks, sediment and nutrients to downstream areas, floodplains, river deltas and coastal regions, supporting some of the most fertile agricultural land on the planet. However, poorly managed flood and drought risks pose a significant challenge to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in rural areas.
More than 3 billion people currently live in agricultural areas with very high or high water scarcity, while 1.8 billion people are directly exposed to floods, posing a significant risk to their lives and livelihoods. In particular, rural communities are disproportionately affected by these challenges, and existing approaches to flood risk planning and management are less developed in rural areas than in urban areas.
The report provides a set of key recommendations to improve flood resilience in rural areas, such as:
- Accepting that absolute protection is not possible and plan for exceedance;
- Working with natural process as part of a whole system approach to managing risk;
- Aligning and integrating planning and policy within and across sectors, and along agrifood systems to reduce risk and maximize co-benefits;
- Taking proactive action to adapt and promote an integrated approach to water.