FAO presents a multi-country cost-benefit analysis on disaster risk reduction at farm level.

Geneva - Dr Stephan Baas, Strategic Advisor on resilience at FAO headquarters in Rome presented the study during a session on Making disaster risk reduction (DRR) inclusive, at the preparatory day of the Sixth Global Platform for DRR (GPDRR) in Geneva.

So far, little evidence has been assembled regarding the economic benefits of investing in preventive small-scale disaster risk reduction measures in agriculture. With this study, FAO seeks to help fill this knowledge gap. Conducted in over 900 small scale farms in 10 countries worldwide, the study examined livelihood diversification measures, irrigation and livestock shelter infrastructure, the use of drought- and flood-tolerant crop varieties. Its findings indicate that farm-level DRR good practices perform on average 2.2 times better than usual practices under hazardous conditions. Most also bring social and environmental co-benefits. Not only do these good practices yield benefits in terms of increased household resilience; because they are easily within reach of poor farmers, they hold vast potential for implementation at much larger scales.

Result from the study can help farmers prioritize their options, and also inform disaster risk reduction policymaking and practice within and across sectors highlighting the role of agriculture in leaving no one behind, and showing how the sector can be harnessed as a means to significantly upscale DRR in vulnerable regions. For policy‑makers, this study is particularly valuable, as it offers cost–benefit figures for individual good practices as well as for combined interventions that are based on actually-observed impacts.

The Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction is a biennial multi-stakeholder forum established by the UN General Assembly to review progress, share knowledge and discuss the latest developments and trends in reducing disaster risk. The 2019 GPDRR takes place in Geneva from the 15 to 17 May 2019, with preparatory and consultation days on 13-14 May, mostly at the International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG).