FAO emergencies and resilience

Anticipatory Action

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FAO is forging a way for a faster, more effective humanitarian system by shifting from disaster response to anticipation.

Anticipatory action is changing the way we manage disasters. Acting ahead of crises means protecting people's lives and livelihoods with benefits that reach far into the future.

Disasters are predictable. Thanks to technological advances, early warning information is more accurate and readily available than ever before. The FAO anticipatory action approach uses risk analysis and forecasts to trigger interventions before a crisis escalates into a humanitarian emergency. This is particularly critical in the agriculture sector. For small-scale farmers, heeding early warning signals can make the difference between a shock and a crisis.

News
News
El Niño’s hidden losses: when one season’s damage fuels the next crisis
22/07/2026

When El Niño-linked weather extremes hit agrifood systems, the damage can be counted in failed crops, dead livestock, flooded fields and lost income....

News
El Niño is coming. Here is where the risks to agriculture are highest
23/06/2026

FAO experts map where crops and pasturelands are most vulnerable to drought

News
Bracing for El Niño: FAO and WFP launch joint appeal to protect 8.8 million people from extreme weather events
18/06/2026

Scaling up early action in 22 high-risk countries will help safeguard lives, livelihoods and food security

Publications
Publications
El Niño: FAO–WFP Joint Anticipatory Action Appeal, June 2026–March 2027
06/2026

Developing strong El Niño conditions are set to intensify droughts and floods across Africa, Asia and the Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean,...

Publications
Anticipatory action for El Niño in Latin America and the Caribbean
05/2026

This good practice factsheet documents FAO’s anticipatory action in response to El Niño across eight countries in Latin America and the Caribbean between...

Publications
Durable solutions in action: FAO's approach to anticipatory action for displacement
05/2026

Conflict, disasters and displacement have reached record levels globally, leaving millions of people unable to return home and severely undermining...

Project highlights
Publications
Global: Project highlights – OSRO/GLO/032/JPN
07/2026

Preparedness and response to high impact animal health events

Publications
Global: Project highlights – OSRO/GLO/1196–1233–1342/GER
05/2026

Scaling up anticipatory action to protect agricultural livelihoods and food security.

Publications
Colombia: Project Highlights - OSRO/COL/135/GER
04/2025

Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, through the Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation Activities - Anticipatory Action Window, contributed USD...

Multimedia
Video
Preparedness and anticipation at the heart of disaster risk management in Burkina Faso
27/04/2026

FAO’s project entitled ‘Improving anticipation and preparedness for risks affecting fragile areas and food crises in Burkina Faso’, funded by the European...

Video
Government Perspectives on Anticipatory Action in the Asia and the Pacific Region
17/03/2025

In response to the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters, governments across the Asia-Pacific region are protecting livelihoods and...

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