Many people equate FAO to a knowledge centre or technical agency, the provider of statistics and world reports on issues such as food insecurity, biodiversity and deforestation. So it can come as a surprise when they learn that when conflict, extreme weather events, natural disasters, plants pests, animal diseases or other threats devastate livelihoods and push people into hunger, FAO is on the ground to help -- from the earliest days of the response. By providing seeds, fishing gear, animal vaccines or other assets, FAO works to rebuild livelihoods and local food systems to support the self-reliance of those affected and boost their resilience against future threats. All told, in 2018, the Organization assisted some 25 million people in 70 countries.
Of course, FAO places great emphasis on early warning and risk reduction, working with families, communities and local and national governments before trouble hits so that vulnerable people are better able to avoid or withstand shocks in the first place. However, if and when threats do strike, FAO is there.
Here are three ways FAO is on the ground helping vulnerable, farming-, fishing- and forest-reliant people prepare for the worst and bounce back after shocks hit.
1. Anticipating and preparing for crises
FAO works with governments and other partners to weave together existing information into a globe-spanning early warning, early action report that raises red flags at signs of trouble, like impending drought, and then promotes preventative actions.
In 2017-18, when forecasts pointed to yet another drought in southern Madagascar – a region already hit by cumulative dry spells that resulted in three failed agricultural seasons – these systems allowed FAO to act early, before the drought could destroy yet another harvest.
The Organization supported people, 23-year-old farmer Zarafonomeny as one example, with short-cycle seeds – including groundnuts and vegetable – so that they could cope with the impending drought.
That same year, in the Mongolian steppe, forecasts pointed toward the occurrence of a localized weather pattern called a dzud. This phenomenon occurs when a summer of very high temperatures and little rainfall is followed by the harshest of winters.
Dzuds result in large numbers of livestock dying from either starvation or cold; this wreaks havoc on the livelihoods of vulnerable herders who can be forced to take out high-interest loans to survive. Ganbaatar Sodnom-ish was among those supported by FAO. When all was said and done, the provisioned food and nutrients meant that Sodnom-ish wasn’t forced to borrow more money to keep his herds alive. He and his family were able to stay on the steppe and are prospering.
