Strengthening Resilience to Disasters for Agriculture and Food & Nutrition Security
Background Information and Objective
The FAO "Food for Talks" series takes the form of several thematic and interactive sessions in 2014 and 2015 with inspired thinkers and speakers from various fields of expertise who will give their respective perspective on a topic related to agriculture, food and nutrition security and sustainable development. The series of events aims at raising awareness on these multidisciplinary issues in Geneva and sharing inspirational ideas for concrete actions. Since food concerns all of us, these events target a broad audience composed by, among others, representatives of Governments, the UN, civil society, academia, media, private sector and the general public.
Objective of this "Food for Talks": from January to March 2015 a series of preparatory meetings by Member States are being held in Geneva in the run-up to the Sendai Conference. In light of these preliminary sessions, the organizers of the event wish to inform the Geneva community on the importance of resilient agricultural practices to diminish long term damages to livelihoods and to reduce risks of food and nutrition insecurity. Therefore, this “Food for Talks” session aims at bringing to the audiences’ attention the importance of agriculture and food and nutrition security in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), debating and sharing different DRR practices and experiences to increase stakeholder’s consensus on the topic and ultimately, ensuring that agriculture and food and nutrition security will be fully integrated in the post-2015 DRR framework.
Background on Agriculture and Food & Nutrition Security in the context of DRR: large shocks and extensive risks can cause serious immediate damage and long-term negative impact to livelihoods, often diminishing or reversing gains in poverty reduction, agricultural development and in the reduction of food insecurity and malnutrition. The most vulnerable are often the most food insecure and exposed to multiple risks, grow fewer crops in smaller plots, mine scarce water and vegetation resources and revert to negative coping strategies to meet their food gap. More sustainable use, rehabilitation, and management of vital resources such as land, water, forests, livestock and genetic resources will ensure we have systems that are more efficient and productive, preserve the natural resource base and ecosystem services, and are able to withstand risks, shocks and climate variability. Further progress in mainstreaming DRR into the whole operation process of agriculture sector, including planning and investments is needed to address underlying risk and to promote resilient livelihoods, food and ecosystems.
Third World Conference on DRR, 14-18 March 2015, Sendai, Japan: on 20 December 2013, the UN General Assembly (GA) adopted a resolution to hold the Conference. Hosted by the Government of Japan in cooperation with UNISDR, the Conference will review the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action and is expected to adopt a successor framework for DRR. Several thousand participants are expected in the conference, including at related events linked to the World Conference under the umbrella of building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters. The UN GA Resolution on International Strategy for DRR states that the World Conference will result in a concise, focused, forward-looking, and action-oriented outcome document. Among the various working sessions held by the multi-stakeholder segment of the Conference, one will be devoted to Food Security, Disaster-Resilient Agriculture & Nutrition. This session will feature agriculture sector specific DRR measures and examine linkages between food and nutrition security, DRR and safety nets distilling institutional requirements, partnerships and good practices in programming and policy engagement to further promote the important role of food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture in reducing risks and building resilience.