ÁNGELA BLANCO
MARION KHAMIS
THE FORECAST of the La Niña phenomenon for the second half of 2024 revives the urgency of strengthening the resilience of agri-food systems against extreme weather events in Latin America and the Caribbean.
After a year marked by El Niño, which brought droughts, heatwaves and floods, we now face a new phenomenon, the potential effects of which we must understand to act and protect agriculture, a pillar of our economies and livelihood for millions in the region.
From the FAO, we warn about the increasing risk to global agriculture from multiple threats, including extreme climate events like El Niño and La Niña and pests and diseases affecting animals and plants.
Currently, agriculture and its subsectors absorb 23 per cent of the total economic losses caused by these events, ie, almost a quarter of the losses caused by disasters globally are concentrated in the agricultural sector. In our region, this represents an average loss of 975 calories per capita per day, directly impacting the population's food security.
In this context, it is imperative not only to respond to current emergencies but also to prepare for future ones, strengthening our capacities to prevent and mitigate their impacts through a holistic approach. This includes profoundly understanding the consequences of climate phenomena on agri-food systems and developing targeted strategies to increase the resilience of vulnerable communities.
Today, we face significant challenges in identifying and measuring how these phenomena affect agri-food systems. This requires methodologies to capture the differentiated effects of threats and consider ethnic-racial, gender, age and geographical variables to ensure inclusive and effective responses. Moreover, the results of these measurements must be used operationally to formulate public policies and social assistance and protection programmes.
In this scenario, the Emergency Data Information System (DIEM) from the FAO emerges as a crucial tool, acting as a thermometer for the situation of the agri-food systems and offering key input for assessing the potential impact of adverse climate events on agricultural production and livelihoods. DIEM identifies particularly vulnerable areas and communities, such as those that have already suffered losses in their livelihoods and food security in previous records and are located in areas exposed to the new threat.
Additionally, DIEM can measure immediate impacts through its DIEM Impact version. A successful example of this tool is the use by the FAO in assessing the impact of fires in Colombia during 2024 on agriculture and livelihoods through the Southern Oscillation Index (El Niño). This allowed a precise allocation of resources and recovery efforts toward the most vulnerable areas and communities, demonstrating the importance of assessment tools for effective emergency management and impact mitigation on agri-food systems.
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As we prep
