ISLAMABAD: The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of United Nations and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) have finalised an institutional assessment for the integration of disaster risk management and the agriculture sector of Pakistan in an attempt to make the agriculture sector capable of preventing and mitigating the impacts of natural disasters.

According to FAO officials in Pakistan, the assessment will serve as a key tool to further develop the capacity of the agriculture sector institutions to mainstream the disaster risk management with a special focus on disaster reduction in their planning and action, and to prepare and respond to emergencies.

As a result of interviews with all important stakeholders at federal and provincial levels, including members of vulnerable communities, disaster management officials at provincial, regional and district levels, members of civil society organisations and government officials responsible for the agriculture sector, strengths and weaknesses, as well as needs of disaster risk management systems of all relevant institutions have been identified.

The FAO and NDMA after a series of workshops with these stakeholders across the country finalised findings and recommendations of the assessment. The NDMA will work with all stakeholders to implement recommendations of the assessment study.

FAO, NDMA finalise institutional assessment which will serve as a tool to develop capacity of agriculture sector institutions

Each year Pakistan is struck by a multitude of natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, droughts, landslides and avalanches. Agriculture is one of the sectors most affected by these phenomena.

With a 21 per cent share of the national GDP and a 45 per cent share of Pakistan’s total workforce, it is crucial that the agricultural sector is able to prevent and mitigate the impact of disasters.

Between 2003 and 2013, disasters triggered by natural hazards caused $1.5 trillion in economic damage worldwide. In developing countries alone, these disasters cost about $550 billion in estimated damage and affected 2 billion people.

Such disasters often undermine national economic growth and development goals, as well as agriculture sector growth and sustainable sector development. However, there is no clear understanding of the economic impact of disasters on the agriculture sector.

Initial results of a latest FAO study says nearly a quarter of damages wrought by natural disasters on the developing world are borne by the agricultural sector. The FAO has launched a special facility aimed at helping countries better equip their food production sectors to reduce risk exposure, limit impacts, and be better prepared to cope with disasters.

Twenty-two per cent of all damages inflicted by natural hazards such as drought, floods or tsunamis are registered within the agriculture sector, according to FAO’s analysis of 78 post-disaster needs assessments in 48 developing countries spanning the 2003-2013 period.

These damages and losses are often incurred by poor rural and semi-rural communities without insurance and lacking the financial resources needed to regain lost livelihoods. Yet only 4.5 per cent of post-disaster humanitarian aid in the 2003-2013 period targeted agriculture.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2016