STORY: Disasters cause 3.8 tln USD in crop, livestock losses over 30 years: FAO
DATELINE: Oct. 14, 2023
LENGTH: 0:02:51
LOCATION: Rome
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of FAO
2. various of "The impact of disasters on agriculture and food security" report
3. SOUNDBITE (English): MAXIMO TORERO, FAO chief economist
4. various of natural disasters affect agricultural production

STORYLINE:

Over the last 30 years, an estimated 3.8 trillion U.S. dollars worth of crops and livestock production has been lost due to disaster events, corresponding to an average loss of 123 billion U.S. dollars per year or 5 percent of annual global agricultural gross domestic product (GDP), according to a new report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Saturday.

A new FAO flagship report entitled "The impact of disasters on agriculture and food security" brings the first-ever global estimation of the impact of disasters on agricultural production focused on crops and livestock.

It also notes that the figure may be higher if systematic data on losses in the fisheries and aquaculture and forestry subsectors were available. 

SOUNDBITE (English): MAXIMO TORERO, FAO chief economist
"Over the last 30 years, disasters inflicted most the highest relative losses on lower and middle-income countries, ranging between 10 and 15 percent of the total agricultural GDP respectively. Disasters also had a significant impact on the small island states, causing them to lose nearly 7 percent of their agricultural GDP. Agricultural production losses are translating to significantly reduced nutrient availability with a loss of dietary energy estimated at 147-kilo calories per person per day at the global level from 1991 to 2021."

The report also outlines three key priorities for action: improving data and information on the impacts of disasters on all sub-sectors of agriculture - crops, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture, and forestry; developing and mainstreaming multi-sectoral and multi-hazard disaster risk reduction approaches into policy and programming at all levels; and enhancing investments in resilience that provide benefits in reducing disaster risk in agriculture and improve agricultural production and livelihoods.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Rome.
(XHTV)