The Impact Of Disasters On Agriculture And Food Security Report:
A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reveals that natural disasters have resulted in approximately $3.8 trillion worth of crop and livestock production losses over the past 30 years.
Highlights:
- The $3.8 trillion loss averages to $123 billion annually, equivalent to 5% of the global agricultural gross domestic product (GDP).
- Major agricultural products such as cereals, fruits, vegetables, sugar crops, meats, dairy products, and eggs have experienced significant losses over the last three decades.
- Cereal losses alone averaged 69 million tonnes per year, equivalent to France’s entire cereal production in 2021.
- Fruits and vegetables, as well as sugar crops, witnessed average losses of 40 million tonnes per year.
- Meats, dairy products, and eggs suffered an estimated loss of 16 million tonnes per year, comparable to the entire production of these products in Mexico and India in 2021.
- Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas all experienced substantial agricultural losses due to disasters.
- In Asia, losses accounted for 4% of agricultural added value, while in Africa, they amounted to nearly 8%.
- Lower and lower-middle-income countries incurred the highest relative losses, up to 15% of their total agricultural GDP.
- Small Island Developing States lost nearly 7% of their agricultural GDP due to disasters.
- Agriculture, highly dependent on natural resources and climate conditions, is one of the most vulnerable sectors to disaster risk.
- Recurrent disasters can undermine food security and the sustainability of agrifood systems.
