Natural disasters cause 99 billion a year of damage to agriculture, FAO warning

Finally, Africa, with absolute losses of around USD 610 billion, suffers the highest proportional impacts, losing 7.4% of its agricultural GDP to disasters.

Then there are the Small Island Developing States (SIDS), which are extremely vulnerable to cyclones, floods and rising sea levels, with agricultural losses accounting for a high share of agricultural GDP, despite small production volumes.

The report also notes that marine heatwaves caused $6.6 billion in losses between 1985 and 2022, with 15% of global fisheries affected. However, losses in fisheries and aquaculture remain largely invisible in disaster assessments, despite sustaining the livelihoods of 500 million people.

Clearly, in economies where agriculture accounts for a significant share of employment and income, these losses have very serious implications for food security and rural stability.

How to intervene? The FAO report identifies digital transformation as a turning point for agricultural disaster risk reduction and 'resilience building'.

"Digital technologies are already revolutionising the way we monitor risks, provide early warnings and support farmers' decision-making," comments FAO DG Qu Dongyu.

Artificial intelligence, machine learning and satellite monitoring now enable real-time insights that improve early warning, insurance systems and preventive action. Today, however, more than 2.6 billion people remain offline, many of them in rural areas most exposed to disaster risks, and although digital solutions are expanding rapidly, the report warns that their full potential can only be realised through human-centred design approaches.

FAO therefore calls on governments, international partners and the private sector to integrate these digital solutions into national agricultural policies and strategies and calls for more investment to support the transformation of the agri-food system.