FAO Alerts Global Agricultural Losses from Natural Disasters

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has released a report revealing that natural disasters have caused agricultural losses valued at $3.26 trillion between 1991 and 2023. This finding forces a closer look at how food and livelihoods are being lost.

The document, titled “The Impact of Disasters on Agriculture and Food Security 2025,” details that the world lost 4.6 billion tons of cereals, 2.8 billion tons of fruits and vegetables, and 900 million tons of meat and dairy products. This productive drain reduces daily food availability per person by 320 kilocalories, worsening the global food crisis.

Asia accounts for 47% of the losses, amounting to $1.53 trillion, primarily due to storms, floods, and droughts. The Americas contribute 22% ($713 billion) due to droughts and hurricanes, while Africa suffers the highest relative burden, losing 7.4% of its agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The report further underscores that marine heatwaves caused $6.6 billion in losses between 1985 and 2022, affecting 15% of global fisheries. The FAO warns that these losses in fisheries and aquaculture often remain invisible in broader assessments.

Human and Economic Impacts

In countries where agriculture is an economic driver, the losses are acute: they destabilize rural incomes, displace labor, and undermine local food security.

The FAO insists that the magnitude of global agricultural losses has effects that go beyond macroeconomic figures.

The study highlights the vulnerability of Small Island Developing States (SIDS), where cyclones and sea-level rise translate small absolute losses into large percentage impacts on agricultural GDP.

The organization proposes accelerating technological solutions such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and satellite monitoring for early warnings and planning. “Digital innovation enables more informed decision-making and proactive action,” the FAO emphasized.

Gaps and Technological Solutions

Despite this, the FAO warns that over 2.6 billion people remain disconnected. This digital gap leaves rural communities out of early warning and prevention systems, a failure that deepens the interlinked problems of agriculture and climate change as a challenge for resilience.

By examining 33 years, the report shows that the climate impact on crops not only reduces tonnage but also erodes food security, intensifies rural migration, and provokes social instability in agriculture-dependent regions.

Closing technological gaps, protecting local production systems, and prioritizing investments in resilient infrastructure are measures the FAO outlines as urgent to curb the progression of losses and cushion future crises.