ROME – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is urging immediate global action in response to the forecasted impacts of La Niña, following one of the most severe El Niño climate events recorded in 2023-2024, which has already affected over 60 million people worldwide, including significant droughts in Southern Africa.
The FAO’s La Niña Anticipatory Action and Response Plan outlines critical preemptive measures and early responses designed to mitigate the risks faced by rural communities at high risk and assist vulnerable farming populations in minimizing adverse effects on agriculture and food production.
La Niña is projected to impact the global climate between September and November 2024, with expectations to persist through January to March 2025. The phenomenon is likely to lead to severe weather extremes that threaten food security, particularly as approximately 282 million people already confront acute food insecurity and require urgent aid.
Characterized by the cooling of central and eastern Pacific waters, La Niña disrupts international weather patterns and occurs every 2 to 7 years, typically lasting between 9 to 12 months. The intensifying effects of climate change are heightening the frequency and severity of extremes associated with both El Niño and La Niña events.
Objectives
FAO’s proactive plan focuses on two main goals: preventing the impacts of anticipated shocks and providing immediate support where the effects of La Niña cannot be mitigated.
This risk-based initiative ensures that vulnerable families receive timely assistance before predicted hazards strike, while also adapting resource allocation to meet evolving conditions.
The plan has three main objectives:
1. Safeguard communities against La Niña-related disasters through anticipatory measures such as assisting fishers in securing their boats before storms, enhancing river embankments to prevent flooding, distributing drought-resistant seeds to small-scale farmers, and protecting livestock.
2. Leverage potential benefits of La Niña by providing resources such as seeds to farmers affected by flooding, enabling them to plant when waters recede.
3. Initiate early responses where La Niña inflicts damage, including pre-positioning vital supplies like veterinary medicines, seeds, and water bladders, while offering cash support to severely impacted families to cover their urgent needs.
Funding Requirements
FAO is urgently calling for donor assistance to support its plan, requiring $318 million to extend critical aid to 10.5 million individuals across 39 high-risk countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Immediate funding is paramount, particularly for anticipatory actions, as trigger points for intervention have already been reached in parts of the Greater Horn of Africa and Latin America.
FAO assessments indicate that for every $1 invested in anticipatory action, farming families can realize over $7 in benefits and savings from avoided losses. With 282 million people currently facing acute food insecurity worldwide, urgent action is essential to avert a worsening crisis.
As the La Niña event approaches, its anticipated effects on global food security expectedly include altered rainfall patterns, resulting in heightened risks of heavy rains and flooding in some areas, alongside drought conditions in others. Countries in Southern Africa, East Africa, Latin America, and parts of Southeast Asia are particularly vulnerable to significant threats against agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods.
La Niña’s Impact in Context
The preceding El Niño event of 2023-2024 impacted over 60 million individuals globally, instigating extreme weather conditions such as droughts, heatwaves, and floods. The most vulnerable regions, including Southern Africa and the Horn of Africa, experienced acute hardships, exacerbating existing food insecurity.
In response to the El Niño crisis, FAO cooperated with governments and partners to implement anticipatory actions and emergency measures in 24 high-risk countries across Asia, East and Southern Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, aiding 1.7 million vulnerable farmers to protect their livelihoods and ensure food security.
However, the looming La Niña event, expected to begin between September and November 2024, presents new challenges, such as the potential for droughts, floods, and cyclones that could further deepen food insecurity in already vulnerable areas.
