Benefits of farm level disaster risk reduction practices in agriculture
According to new FAO figures, agriculture in developing countries accounted for 23 percent of all damages and losses caused by medium and large-scale disasters between 2006 and 2016. In the case of drought, agriculture received up to 80 percent of the damages over the same period, a clear example of the severe impact of natural disasters on agriculture and food security. But the agricultural sector is not only a victim, quite the contrary, it is part of the solution, and it can play a key role in disaster risk reduction. According to a new FAO publication, specific agricultural technologies for risk reduction at farm level are more effective than usual practices under hazard conditions. The FAO study monitored improved farm-level disaster risk management practices in Bolivia, Cambodia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Philippines and Uganda, and compared them to usual practices adopted by farmers, ranchers and fishermen. On average, the net economic benefits from these improved practices were approximately 2.5 times higher than usual practices under hazard conditions.