FAO's work on disaster risk reduction

11/10/2019

In recent years, multiple disasters have imposed devastating consequences on agriculture, food security and the livelihoods of millions of farmers, pastoralists, fishers and forest-dependent communities. From the 2015/16 El Niño and resulting hazards worldwide to the exceptionally strong 2017 hurricane season in the Caribbean, across the globe agriculture is bearing the burden of disaster impacts.

On the occasion of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, we offer some FAO titles that explore the challenges that natural hazards pose to farmers and global food security, as well as illustrate the critical role that reducing disaster risks on farms and raising the resilience of rural communities has to play in meeting those challenges.

• Disaster risk reduction at farm level: Multiple benefits, no regrets
  This multi-year study undertaken on over 900 farms in ten different countries measured, using field data, the benefits of innovative practices designed to boost the resilience of farmers in the face of natural disasters and other shocks.
• Agriculture-related investments in disaster risk reduction and management
  This study found that out of the USD1.63 trillion in foreign assistance provided to developing countries and countries in transition between 2004 and 2016, only 3 percent was targeted to disaster risk reduction and disaster risk management in agriculture, highlighting a clear funding gap.
• Governance challenges for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation convergence in agriculture − Guidance for analysis
  This paper aims to help practitioners integrate actions on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in agriculture, and illustrates some typical governance and political economy-related barriers that may hamper convergence or integration of such initiatives.