Awareness raising and training workshop for the agriculture experts from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection (MAEP) of the Republic of Serbia.

The main objective is the definition of Agriculture sector priorities within the National Plan for the implementation of the National Disaster Risk Management Programme (NDRMP).

The tentative list of participants includes the Flood Office,  Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection (sectorial divisions including directorate for water management/forestry/livestock/crop production, statistics and early warning division, few selected municipal disaster field coordinators, fire officers, rural development officers, disaster risk management researchers, community field project development officers and agriculture extension officers. The purpose of the training would be to generate understanding of the institutional demand for shifting from emergency response to resilience building measures related to agriculture. DRR measures are important for agriculture in Serbia because (i) agriculture’s share of Serbia’s GDP is 10.1% (2013) and accounts for almost 20% of all exports, (ii) agriculture is a source of income for 2/3 of the rural population and significantly contributes to country's food security.

Recent floods in 2014 have been an example how such a natural disaster could devastate agriculture sector and the farming-based livelihoods of millions of people. The Rapid Needs Assessment (RNA) carried out in June/July 2014 in Serbia reported significant losses and damages in agriculture sector. However, the DRR measures should not be limited to floods – multi-hazard approach is needed. For instance, increasing drought frequency and severity has been observed in Serbia during the past decades, which affects soil quality, crop yields and overall agricultural production. The identification/monitoring of areas affected by droughts and adaptation measures are of vital importance for agriculture.