Farmers Review Africa May/June 2017 Farmers Review Africa | Page 19

Insights
increasing carbon sequestration.
e study also looked at the production of
cassava varieties that mature earlier to reduce
losses due to ooding.
Other successful practices implemented by
family farmers in Bolivia include the raising of
camelids in pens - which reduce animal
mortality due to heavy rainfall - supported by
veterinary pharmacies that prevent disease.
Livestock rearing with cattle ranch hills -
mounds on which livestock can nd shelter
during oods - along with deworming
practices and vitamin supplements have
reduced mortality from oods and diseases.
"FAO is promoting greater access to these
types of improved agricultural technologies to
reduce vulnerability and strengthen resilience
of livelihoods, which should be
complemented by public policies with a
national impact," said Ana Ricoy.
Reducing the impact of disasters on
agriculture is key to protecting food security
A third of the population of Latin America
and the Caribbean lives in areas at high risk of
natural disasters, among which the poor are
the hardest hit.
Nearly seventy extreme weather events occur
in Latin America and the Caribbean each
year, and 70 percent of all emergencies in the
region are climate related.
was estimated at about USD 34.3 billion, a
quarter of all losses worldwide.
During the last Global Platform for Disaster
Risk Reduction, FAO emphasized the need to
i mprove t he s y ne rg i e s b e t we e n t he
complementary agendas for disaster risk
reduction, adaptation to climate change and
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
facilitating the formulation of a regional
strategy for disaster risk management for
agriculture and food and nutrition security,
together with the Office of the United Nations
for Disaster Risk Reduction.
FAO supports countries throughout the
region
FAO's support is based on understanding
disaster risk, strengthening governance
mechanisms, investing on local resilience,
and improving preparedness for timely and
effective response.
In both the Dry corridor of Guatemala and
Haiti, FAO supports government actions to
facilitate community-level resilience plans.
In St. Vincent and the Grenadines and
Paraguay, FAO works to support disaster risk
management plans for the agricultural sector,
linked to climate change adaptation.
In Honduras and Nicaragua, FAO promotes
the strengthening of agro-climatic risk
information and monitoring systems. At the
subregional level, FAO is helping to create a
Central American agricultural drought index
system.
At the regional level, in response to a request
of the Community of Latin American and
C ar ibb e an St ate s ( C E L AC ) , FAO is
According to FAO, this puts a high urgency on
the need to accelerate the implementation of
the main global agreement in the region: the
S endai Framework for Disaster Risk
Reduction.
Disasters have the potential to severely alter
the growth trajectory of whole countries and
regions: developing countries lost about USD
93 billion in crops and livestock due to natural
disasters between 2005 and 2014.
Widespread crop failure has exarcerbated
chronic malnutrition in the Southern Africa
region Photo FAO Desmond Kwande
Without major climate change adaptation
actions, the annual costs of dealing with
disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean
could reach up to 2.2% of regional GDP.
An average of 5 million people are affected by
natural disasters in the region each year, with
serious economic consequences: the cost of
disasters in the region between 2003 and 2014
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FARMERS
REVIEW AFRICA
May - June 2017