Issue paper
The Impact of Disasters on Agriculture and Food Security 2017
Natural disasters have cost billions of dollars in lost agricultural production. The human food chain is under continuous threat from an alarming increase in the number of outbreaks of transboundary animal and plant pests and diseases. Conflict and protracted crises are putting more and more people in conditions of poverty, food insecurity and displacement. This has become the "new normal" and the impact of climate change will further exacerbate these threats and challenges.
Agriculture often bears a disproportionate share of disaster impacts, many of which are borne directly by smallholders. As resources become increasingly scarce, objective evidence is needed to effectively target our investment in resilience, preparedness and mitigation.
This second edition of FAO's report on the Impact of Disasters and Crises on Agriculture and Food Security provides the latest data on the impact of disasters and crises on agriculture sectors, combined with sound analysis of remaining gaps and challenges. It is not limited to natural disasters alone, but includes the first-ever analysis of the effect on agriculture of conflict and food chain crises. The 2017 report considers how the entire sector is impacted, not only crops and livestock but also forestry, fisheries and aquaculture.