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The increased frequency and severity of natural hazards and disasters, partly largely caused by climate change and variability, has adverse serious negative impacts on the agriculture sectors, threatening peoples’ lives and livelihoods as well as national economies. 

To tackle this challenge, it is important to invest in disaster risk reduction measures that can both increase sustainable agricultural production and boost the resilience of current and future generations. Even in the absence of a disasters event, these investments can yield provide significant benefits, for example by encouraging households to protect existing  assets and build new ones, as well as by promoting entrepreneurship and stimulating innovation.

At the global level, the international community made a commitment though the 2015-2030 Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 to increase investments in prevention and preparedness. The guiding principle of this framework states that it is far more effective to invest prior before to a disaster, rather than to focusing on post-disaster measures.

However lack of data related to investments in disaster risk reduction for the agriculture sectors makes it difficult to understand the current state of such financial commitments in this area. Without accurate information we cannot effectively measure investment needs and progress made in addressing risks related to climate change and disasters. 

The purpose of this study, conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is to address this knowledge gap and provide quantitative evidence of trends in agriculture-related investment to prevention and preparedness, reconstruction, relief and rehabilitation, as well as emergency response measures at global and regional levels. 

We believe that the findings of this analysis will support investment planning in national governments, international financing institutions, the United Nations and resource partners.