Agriculture on the proving grounds. Damage and loss
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UNCCD Library
Available data shows us that an increased occurrence and intensity of disasters is the new normal.
Within the first few months of 2020, huge swarms of desert locusts began ravaging countries across the Greater Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and Southwest Asia - just one more hit to farmers already impacted by floods, cyclones, hailstorms, animal diseases, droughts, and other shocks.
By its end, the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season produced 30 named systems, far surpassing the usual 12-storm annual average.
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating lives, livelihoods, and economies the world over.
Agriculture and the billions of farmers who keep the rest of us fed bear the brunt of such shocks - more than any other productive sector. Disasters take lives, but also devastate rural livelihoods, destroy food, and drive up hunger.
Disasters and their economic impact
One of the most direct ways disasters affect agriculture is through lower-than-expected production. This causes direct economic loss to farmers which can cascade along the entire value chain - even affecting the growth of the sector or entire national economies.
From 2008–2018, billions of dollars were lost as a result of declines in crop and livestock production in the aftermath of disasters.
USD 30 billion was lost in sub-Saharan and North Africa
USD 29 billion was lost in Latin America and the Caribbean
USD 8.7 billion was lost across the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean
USD 49 billion was lost in Asia
Which disasters strike with the greatest impact and where?
Effective Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) policies can help to counter the economic and food security impacts of disasters as well as safeguard people’s livelihoods. But creating and implementing effective policies involves knowing which disasters strike with the greatest impact and where.
Here are the top five most impactful disasters (in terms of their toll on agricultural production systems) to strike least developed countries (LDCs) and low to middle income countries (LMICs) from 20
Drought
Drought has been established as the single greatest culprit of agricultural production loss. Over 34 percent of crop and livest
Within the first few months of 2020, huge swarms of desert locusts began ravaging countries across the Greater Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and Southwest Asia - just one more hit to farmers already impacted by floods, cyclones, hailstorms, animal diseases, droughts, and other shocks.
By its end, the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season produced 30 named systems, far surpassing the usual 12-storm annual average.
Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating lives, livelihoods, and economies the world over.
Agriculture and the billions of farmers who keep the rest of us fed bear the brunt of such shocks - more than any other productive sector. Disasters take lives, but also devastate rural livelihoods, destroy food, and drive up hunger.
Disasters and their economic impact
One of the most direct ways disasters affect agriculture is through lower-than-expected production. This causes direct economic loss to farmers which can cascade along the entire value chain - even affecting the growth of the sector or entire national economies.
From 2008–2018, billions of dollars were lost as a result of declines in crop and livestock production in the aftermath of disasters.
USD 30 billion was lost in sub-Saharan and North Africa
USD 29 billion was lost in Latin America and the Caribbean
USD 8.7 billion was lost across the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean
USD 49 billion was lost in Asia
Which disasters strike with the greatest impact and where?
Effective Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) policies can help to counter the economic and food security impacts of disasters as well as safeguard people’s livelihoods. But creating and implementing effective policies involves knowing which disasters strike with the greatest impact and where.
Here are the top five most impactful disasters (in terms of their toll on agricultural production systems) to strike least developed countries (LDCs) and low to middle income countries (LMICs) from 20
Drought
Drought has been established as the single greatest culprit of agricultural production loss. Over 34 percent of crop and livest