Mark Kinver BBC News 17 Mar 15;
Farmers in developing nations bear the "major brunt" of natural disasters yet only receive a small percentage of post-disaster aid, says a UN report.
The Food and Agriculture Organization assessment said the sector experienced almost a quarter of the cost of damage caused by natural disasters.
However, despite being vital for food security and livelihoods, it received less than 5% of post-disaster aid.
The study was published at the UN World Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Delegates from the FAO also announced the launch of a facility that will focus on bringing together technical expertise and financial resources with the aim of building greater resilience within the agriculture sector to natural extreme weather events.
"Agriculture and all it encompasses is not only critical for our food supply, it also remains a main source of livelihoods across the planet," said FAO director-general Jose Graziano da Silva.
"While it is a sector at risk, agriculture also can be the foundation upon which we can build societies that are more resilient and better equipped to deal with disasters."
He added that building resilience among the global farming community was one of the FAO's top priorities.
'Information gap'
The FAO assessment said between 2003 and 2013, natural disasters and hazards in developing nations affected more than 1.9 billion people and the cost of the damage was estimated to be in excess of US $494bn.
However, the exact impact on the agricultural sector was unreported and "therefore unknown".
It observed: "There is a critical information gap in terms of the quantitative economic impact of disasters on agriculture and on the livelihoods and food security of the populations affected.
"FAO has undertaken a study to fill this information gap and to quantify - where possible - the impact of natural hazards on the agriculture sector in developing countries over the past decade."
Researchers based their assessment on 78 "post-disaster needs assessments" from 46 nations between 2003 and 2013.
The team's preliminary findings include:
=When droughts occur, the agriculture sector absorbs up to "84% of all economic impacts"
=Within the sector, 42% of assessed losses were to crops (flooding was responsible for 60% of the damage; storms were responsible for 23%)
=Livestock was the second worst-affected activity, accounting for 36% of the damage total
=Asia was the most affected region, with estimated losses in the region of US $28bn
=Africa was a close second, with losses of US $26bn
Mr Graziano de Silva said that he hoped the launch of the FAO's facility would help curb future losses.
"With this new effort, we are aiming to limit people's exposure to risk, avoid or reduce impacts where possible, and enhance preparedness to respond quickly when disasters occur," he explained.
Studies have suggested that for every dollar spent on disaster risk reduction, two to four dollars are returned in terms of avoided or diminished impacts, he added.
The findings of the assessment and details of the FAO's new agriculture resilience facility were presented at the UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, currently being held in Sendai, Japan.
Speaking at the conference, Baldwin Lonsdale, president of Vanuatu, told delegates that the damage on the Pacific island nation caused by category five Cyclone Pam was "unprecedented".
"This is a major calamity for our country," he said. "Every year, we lose 6% of our GDP to disasters."
He described the disaster as a "major setback for the country's development".
"It will have severe impacts for all sectors of economic activity, including tourism, agriculture and manufacturing.
"The country is already threatened by coastal erosion and rising sea levels, in addition to five active volcanoes and earthquakes."
The conference is due to close on Wednesday with the expected adoption of an agreement on ways to reduce mortality and economic losses from disasters.
Agriculture bears major brunt of disaster impacts, new report says
FAO launches facility aimed at channeling technical expertise, financial resources towards resilience building
FAO 17 Mar 15;
17 March 2015, Sendai, Japan - Nearly a quarter of damages wrought by natural disasters on the developing world are borne by the agricultural sector according to initial results from a new FAO study released here today at the UN World Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction.
The Organization also announced the launch of a special facility aimed at helping countries better equip their food production sectors to reduce risk exposure, limit impacts, and be better prepared to cope with disasters.
Twenty-two percent of all damages inflicted by natural hazards such as drought, floods storms or tsunamis are registered within the agriculture sector, FAO's analysis of 78 post-disaster needs assessments in 48 developing countries spanning the 2003-2013 period shows.
These damages and losses are often incurred by poor rural and semi-rural communities without insurance and lacking the financial resources needed to regain lost livelihoods. Yet only 4.5 percent of post-disaster humanitarian aid in the 2003-2013 period targeted agriculture.
FAO's 22 percent figure represents only damages reported via post-disaster risk assessments, so while indicative of scale, the actual impact is likely even higher. To arrive at a closer estimate of the true financial cost of disasters to developing world agriculture FAO compared decreases in yields during and after disasters with yield trends in 67 countries affected by (at least one) medium- to larger-scale events between 2003 and 2013.
The final tally: $70 billion in damages to crops and livestock over that 10 year period.
Asia was the most affected region, with estimated losses adding up to $28 billion, followed by Africa at $26 billion.
"Agriculture and all that it encompasses is not only critical for our food supply, it also remains a main source of livelihoods across the planet. While it is a sector at risk, agriculture also can be the foundation upon which we build societies that are more resilient and better equipped to deal with disasters," said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva.
"This is why building resilience of livelihoods to threats and crises is one of FAO's top priorities," he added.
New facility for disaster risk reduction in agriculture
To help countries better prepare for and respond to disasters affecting agriculture, FAO today launched a new facility aimed at channeling technical support to where it is most needed. The facility will work to mainstream disaster risk reduction in agriculture at all levels through diverse activities.
"With this new effort, we are aiming to limit peoples' exposure to risks, avoid or reduce impacts where possible, and enhance preparedness to respond quickly when disasters occur," said Graziano da Silva.
Studies have shown that for every one dollar spent on disaster risk reduction, as much as four dollars are returned in terms of avoided or diminished impacts, he noted.
The work of the new facility will be guided by FAO's Framework Programme on Disaster Risk Reduction for Food and Nutrition Security.
Agriculture remains a key sector
Worldwide, the livelihoods of 2.5 billion people depend on agriculture. These small-scale farmers, herders, fishers and forest-dependent communities generate more than half of global agricultural production and are particularly at risk from disasters that destroy or damage harvests, equipment, supplies, livestock, seeds, crops and stored food.
Beyond the obvious consequences on peoples' food security, the economies and development trajectories of entire regions and nations can be altered when disasters hit agriculture. The sector accounts for as much as 30 percent of national GDP in countries like Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, the Niger, among others.
There are also spill-over losses in agriculture-dependent subsectors, and significant consequences for trade flows. Countries surveyed experienced an increase in agriculture imports to the tune of $18.9 billion and a decrease in agriculture exports of $14.9 billion following natural disasters, between 2003 and 2013.
Key facts
From FAO's analysis of damages reported via needs assessments
Based only on reported damages in 78 post-disaster risk assessments, total damages of $140 billion reported (2003-2013) for all economic sectors - $30 billion of this were to agriculture (crops, livestock, forestry, fisheries).
When droughts occur, agriculture absorbs up to 84 percent of all economic impacts.
Within the agricultural sector, 42 percent of assessed losses were to crops ($13 billion) - with floods the main culprit responsible for 60 percent of crop damages followed by storms (23 percent of crop damages).
Livestock is the second most affected subsector after crops, accounting for 36 percent of all damage and losses, for a total of $11 billion during the 2003-2013 period.
Out of the 78 disasters assessed, 45 involved impacts to the fisheries subsector ($1.7 billion, or 6 percent all damages born by the agricultural sector). The lion's share - 70 percent - was caused by tsunamis, typically infrequent events. Storms such as hurricanes and typhoons account for roughly 16 percent of the economic impact on fisheries, followed by floods (10 percent).
The forestry sector incurred $737 million in damages and losses, representing 2.4 percent of the total for the agricultural sector.
From FAO's expanded analysis
FAO compared decreases in yields during and after disasters with yield trends in 67 different countries affected by at least one medium- to larger-scale event between 2003 and 2013.
Based on this expanded analysis, losses and damages to crops and livestock over that period are estimated to total $70 billion. Data gaps mean the total is likely higher still.
82% of production losses were caused by drought (44 percent) and floods (39 percent).
Asia was the most affected region, with estimated losses adding up to $28 billion, followed by Africa at $26 billion.
In Africa, between 2003 and 2013 there were 61 drought years in Sub-Saharan Africa affecting 27 countries and 150 million people. FAO estimates that 77 percent of all agricultural production losses suffered worldwide due to drought occurred in those 27 Sub-Saharan countries, with losses adding up to $23.5 billion.
