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The FAO Drought portal is a global knowledge-sharing platform to support countries and stakeholders in enhancing the resilience of agriculture and improving food security. The Drought portal builds on the Integrated Drought Management (IDM) approach, to foster the transition from crisis-led and reactive responses to risk-based and proactive measures.

The Drought portal provides resources towards the following objectives:

improve livelihoods’ resilience by presenting field-tested solutions and lessons learnt, ready-to-use tools and methodologies, and global knowledge resources on the three pillars of IDM;
respond to emergencies by showcasing crisis-driven responses and post-disaster toolkits;
support resource mobilization and allocation by hosting the Drought tracker tool; and
facilitate the learning by including innovative learning materials related to all aspects of drought management.

Success stories

Integrated natural resources management in drought-phone and salt-affected agricultural production landscapes in Central Asia and Turkey (CACILM-2)

CACILM-2 is the 2^ndphase of a regional project in Central Asia and Turkey financed under the GEF that demonstrates effective agricultural technologies, measures drought impact and degradation of agricultural land per GDP and contributes to food security, welfare and agricultural productivity.

Community Contingency Funds (CCFs), an agricultural risk insurance for vulnerable households in the dry corridor of Central America

CCFs are an innovative risk protection and financial mechanism to provide a farm insurance to those who do not have access to conventional financial systems. The resources of this solidarity fund are managed by farmer’s association to provide assistance to members after unexpected events like droughts.

Unlocking the potential of agricultural innovation to improve farmers’ resilience to drought

The programme “One million cisterns for the Sahel” aims at introducing rainwater harvesting and storage systems for vulnerable communities, especially women. The objective is to enable millions of people access safe drinking water, enhance their family agricultural production, improve their food and nutrition security and to strengthen their resilience.

Collaboration

FAO has a longstanding partnership and collaboration with UNCCD, the UN agency established to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought.

UNCCD established the Drought Toolbox to provide drought stakeholders with easy access to tools, case studies and other resources and support the design of National Drought Policy Plan with the aim to boost the resilience of people and ecosystems to drought.

The establishment of an interactive linkage between the Drought Initiative Toolbox and the FAO Drought portal aims at reaching out wider audience with a broader and more complete set of functions and information.

Highlights

The project “Enabling Activities for Implementing UNCCD COP Drought Decisions” sets the objectives to enable the UNCCD parties towards the implementation of national drought plans according to the principles of integrated drought management. Twelve countries are receiving technical support to implement relevant decisions on drought and national drought plans for drought preparedness, regional advocacy, and capacity building in the framework of an intergovernmental working group (IWG) and Drought Initiative implementation.