A.3: Food and Agricultural Emergencies

Preparedness for, and effective and sustainable response to, food and agricultural emergencies

Other Information:

While the preferred means of dealing with emergencies is prevention, food and agricultural emergencies will continue to occur as a result of natural disasters such as droughts, floods, fires, and pests and diseases and human-induced disasters such as war and internal conflict. Unforeseen disruptions to financial and economic systems can also result in emergencies that have similar adverse impacts on local populations. Often the people most severely affected by disasters live in rural areas, but the disruption of agricultural and food systems can have serious consequences for both rural and urban populations, and it is generally the resource-poor who are most vulnerable. The challenge is to increase the resilience and capacity of countries and their populations to cope with the impacts of disasters that affect national and household food security and, when disasters do occur, to contribute to emergency operations that foster the transition from relief to recovery of the food and agricultural sectors. Strategy components The components include: strengthening disaster preparedness and the ability to mitigate the impact of emergencies that affect food security and the productive capacities of the rural population; forecasting and providing early warning of adverse conditions in the food and agricultural sectors and of impending food emergencies, including monitoring plant and animal pests and diseases; assessing needs and formulating and implementing programmes for agricultural relief and rehabilitation, and formulating policies and investment frameworks favouring the transition from emergency relief to reconstruction and development in food and agriculture; and strengthening local capacities and coping mechanisms through guiding the choice of agricultural practices, technologies and support services, to reduce vulnerability and enhance resilience. Comparative advantages and partnerships FAO's comparative advantage in humanitarian assistance is directly derived from the expertise, knowledge and experience it has accumulated as a technical agency. It has a demonstrated technical capability for natural resource monitoring and for facilitating, with others, international efforts in forecasting, prevention and mitigation of natural calamities. Within the UN system, it has recognized leadership for early warning of food shortages through the Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS), as well as for its Emergency Prevention System (EMPRES) for transboundary animal and plant pests and diseases, including control of locust and other migratory pests. It has the expertise required to assess relief needs and provide assistance for the early recovery of food and agricultural productive capacities, which is vital for affected countries with a predominant agricultural sector. It can therefore take the lead in the preparation of targeted rural sector recovery and development options and the identification of priority projects for investment. By focusing at the same time on the household food security and nutritional well-being of affected populations, FAO is in a position to provide a comprehensive approach to recovery and rehabilitation. FAO conducts, jointly with WFP, crop and food supply assessments, as well as household food security and nutritional status assessments, and has well-established links with all UN agencies concerned with humanitarian assistance, including OCHA, WFP, WHO, UNICEF, UNEP and UNHCR as well as with regional organizations, national governments and international and national NGOs, particularly for early warning and food and nutrition assessments. Response to emergencies and early post-disaster recovery assistance is provided within the framework of emergency aid coordination and management mechanisms established within the UN system (including the Security Council), based on the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and the Executive Committee for Humanitarian Assistance (ECHA) and including major cooperating humanitarian aid agencies (governments, UN agencies, the Red Cross Movement, NGOs and donors). In the field, NGOs are also included as FAO's main implementing partners, particularly in complex emergencies. Resources for this type of work will continue to be sought from bilateral and multilateral funding sources as well as from regional and international financing institutions committed to providing support to reconstruction efforts.

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Indicator:1

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