Homepage  Homepage     Search on site  Search on site     To write the letter  To write the letter     Site map  Site map
Agro Perspectiva
We are on: 
   
 


Home > News

El Niño and La Niña: four crucial steps to build climate resilience

03.05.2024 07:10 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) — In the face of intensifying El Niño and La Niña weather events, effective anticipatory action is crucial to shield and better equip communities ahead of shocks as it helps to save lives and protect livelihoods by preventing damage and losses to crops, livestock, productive lands, water and infrastructure, said Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

She gave insights into FAO’s experience in dealing with the latest El Niño and its impacts at a high-level thematic event entitled «El Niño 2023–2024: Actions for the safety, sustainability and resilience of people and the planet» organized jointly by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

The El Niño event in 2015–2016 — one of the strongest on record — affected over 60 million people worldwide, resulting in 23 countries appealing for international humanitarian assistance worth over $5 billion. And, the most recent event in 2023–2024 is one of the five strongest on record, creating overwhelming needs among the most vulnerable.

«Unless we dramatically improve our ability to anticipate, act swiftly, and build long-term climate resilience, we will fail to tackle El Niño and other escalating climate extremes. We know that we can get ahead of disasters, avert and minimize impacts, and ultimately reduce humanitarian needs — but this requires investing in agriculture and farmers,» Bechdol said.

Such actions may range from cash transfers that help fisherfolk store their boats and gear ahead of a storm to backyard gardening kits that help families produce food at home. In pastoral communities, FAO provides animal feed and vaccines to keep essential livestock alive and healthy ahead of drought, while crop farmers may get drip irrigation and drought-resistant seeds.

The Deputy Director-General outlined four key game-changing actions to efficiently tackle extreme weather events:

international collaboration including among climate scientists and development and humanitarian actors to address the transboundary nature of climate change;

targeted investments in agriculture, particularly in early warning systems to be able to translate forecasts into actionable measures;

scaled up action including emergency agriculture aid ahead of and during crises to boost local food production; and

increased funding to enhance anticipatory action and build climate resilience.

To this end, she noted that flexible financing mechanisms for anticipatory action such as through the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and FAO Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation Activities (SFERA) have been instrumental to allow for timely interventions.

Bechdol concluded by urging the international community to broaden the focus beyond immediate response efforts to include longer-term solutions to weather extremes while better linking humanitarian, development and peace efforts to deliver the best solutions for the challenges of today and the future.

This one-day dedicated thematic event brought together Member States and Observers, the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, and other relevant stakeholders. The participants discussed the range of actions required to turn enhanced scientific predictability into global, regional, national and local level plans and actions that address the impacts of the 2023–2024 El Niño phenomenon on affected countries.

FAO’s response to El Niño

Using modelling based on previous El Niño-driven weather patterns, FAO acted swiftly to avert the worst of its effects in 2023–2024, launching together with governments and partners anticipatory actions in 23 countries at risk. Examples of action on the ground included: repairing or constructing irrigation systems and animal health interventions to address potential drought-induced disease outbreaks; repairing riverbanks, rehabilitating canals, and providing cash transfers ahead of floods so families can make their own choices about meeting their needs.

In Central America, for example, the timely distribution of drought-tolerant and short-cycle crop seeds has helped each family receiving assistance to produce about 60 kg of vegetables every two months, to mitigate the impact of El Niño-induced drought on local food production. Likewise, in Somalia, repairing around 4,600 metres of riverbank breakage points along the Shabelle river has protected almost 40,000 hectares of cropland from expected floods.

According to FAO assessments, for every $1 invested in anticipatory action, it creates a return for farming families of more than $7 in avoided losses and added benefits.

The timeliness and success of FAO’s anticipatory actions during this El Niño event are largely due to the extensive groundwork conducted by FAO over several years to enhance anticipation and preparedness capacities within its country offices and among key partners.

Agro Perspectiva

< Acute hunger remains persistently high in 59 countries with 1 in 5 people assessed in need of critical urgent action All news for
03.05.2024
Rising international quotations for meat, cereals and vegetable oils offset drops for dairy and sugar >

30.09.2024  
17:27 List of agricultural machinery with cost compensation expanded to 11,300 items
29.09.2024  
20:21 1 in 11 people worldwide faced hunger in 2023, 1 in 5 in Africa If current trends continue, about 582 million people will be chronically undernourished in 2030, half of them in Africa
17:13 EU agri-food surplus increased in the first half of 2024
27.09.2024  
09:02 BASF presents new corporate strategy: BASF is setting a new direction for portfolio steering, capital allocation and performance culture
26.09.2024  
10:25 BASF sets new direction with corporate strategy and maintains high level of shareholder distributions
21.09.2024  
18:30 Three new sites recognized as Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS)
17.09.2024  
09:52 Cargill and Ducks Unlimited Working Together to Restore Watersheds Across North America
08:44 FAO calls for G20 cooperation as hunger targets continue to elude
06:40 FAO sees open trade as a cornerstone of global food security
13.09.2024  
07:08 U.S. Soybean Meal Hits 10‐Year High for Export Sales
12.09.2024  
21:26 U.S. Corn Exports Buoyed by Large Supplies
11.09.2024  
04:30 Global cereal production 2024 forecast on par with 2023 output, cereal trade likely to contract
06.09.2024  
11:35 FAO Food Price Index down marginally in August: lower sugar, meat and cereal quotations offset higher dairy and vegetable oil prices
10:34 Cargill acquires two US feed mills, strengthens production and distribution capabilities to grow with customers
05.09.2024  
09:23 PM: Plan to develop small generation facilities to reduce vulnerability to terrorism
30.08.2024  
05:03 Taras Vysotskyi discusses agricultural cooperation with Hungarian counterpart István Nagy
19.08.2024  
12:00 OTP BANK RECEIVED A $2.76 MILLION GRANT FROM USAID INVESTMENT FOR BUSINESS RESILIENCE ACTIVITY FOR CONCESSIONAL LENDING TO MICRO, SMALL, AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES
16.08.2024  
17:10 Cargill and Goanna Ag Pilot Irrigation Efficiency Technology on Mississippi Delta Cotton Fields
12.08.2024  
20:04 Ukraine Soybean Exports Forecast at Record in 2024/25
19:48 Domestic Demand and Trade Restrictions Reduce India Grain Exports
11.08.2024  
09:15 USAID Announces $3.9 billion in Direct Budget Support to the Government of Ukraine
09.08.2024  
17:41 USAID Announces $3.9 billion in Direct Budget Support to the Government of Ukraine
07.08.2024  
08:19 Turkey’s Mandarin Production and Exports to Rebound
26.07.2024  
09:28 Ongoing Economic Crisis in Argentina Impacts Dairy
15.07.2024  
10:28 Decline of China Pork Imports Continues in 2024
08:20 Lower Prices Propel Mexico 2023/24 Soybean Meal Imports
13.07.2024  
10:15 China Imports of Major Feed Grains at Record for Oct-May period
12.07.2024  
01:08 Climate risks projected to affect fish biomass around the world's ocean, FAO report says
06.07.2024  
10:15 Global cereal production 2024 forecast scaled up and now set to exceed the 2023 level
10:01 FAO Food Price Index stable in June
03.07.2024  
12:31 World pear production for MY 2023/24 is projected up more than 275,000 tons to 25.2 million
12:23 U.S. wheat exports are forecast to rebound by more than a million tons in the 2024/25 marketing year
01.07.2024  
08:58 World apple production for MY 2023/24 is forecast to rise more than 700,000 tons to 83.7 million
08:39 World coffee production for 2024/25 is forecast to rebound 7.1 million bags
25.06.2024  
17:57 Central, Eastern and South-Eastern European banks report strengthening loan demand and improving profitability
17:05 Global Environment Facility approves $70 million to support FAO projects in 28 countries
24.06.2024  
04:15 Emergency brake triggered for oat imports from Ukraine
23.06.2024  
09:00 Colombia Production: Two Periods of Sharp Decline
19.06.2024  
15:35 World pear production for MY 2023/24 is projected up more than 275,000 tons to 25.2 million
10:35 India Apple Imports Forecast at a Record High
12.06.2024  
09:21 FAO Food Price Index slightly up in May: higher cereal and dairy prices offset easing sugar and vegetable oil quotations
03.06.2024  
14:04 Commission clarifies support for farmers in case of exceptional weather events
13:33 Digitalization: it is time to bridge the gap between urban and rural areas
22.05.2024  
18:25 Two years of Solidarity Lanes have brought the EU, Ukraine and Moldova closer together
21.05.2024  
08:10 Seven additional private sector leaders announce support for Antimicrobial Use Stewardship Principles in poultry, now includes over 40% of global poultry meat production
13.05.2024  
23:32 EU extends trade support to Ukraine for one more year
04:36 European Union corn is forecast at 18.0 million tons
11.05.2024  
18:55 2024/25 Grain Consumption Expands while Trade Moderates
18:47 Oilseeds Stocks Forecast to Reach Record Highs in 2024/25
06.05.2024  
09:17 The International Year of the Woman Farmer in 2026 Approved by the UN General Assembly, it will increase awareness of the crucial role women farmers play in agrifood systems

Also available: 


NewsNews - News - News - News - News - News
BriefWeekly Reports - Free article
SubscriptionTariff - News&Reports
AdvertisingMagazine - Site
ConferencesForum AGRO-2013 - DAIRY WORLD-2008 - FERTILIZERS-2010
Statistics
For our clientsAgroNewsDaily - Ukrainian Grain&Oilseed Market - Fertilizers - Milk Monthly - Milk Weekly
About usAbout project - Contact
2002 -2024 © Agrarika, ltd.
tel.: +380 67 4473802; +380 67 5964652
e-mail: client@agroperspectiva.com