WORKING SESSION
Food Security, Disaster-Resilient Agriculture and Nutrition
Brief & Concept Note
Brief
1. Why is this topic important ?
Large shocks and extensive risks can cause serious long-term damage 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.
2. What gaps need to be filled?
Further progress in mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into agriculture sector planning,
and investments in operations is needed to address underlying risk and to promote resilient
livelihoods, food and ecosystems. Cross-sectoral collaboration and coordination in planning,
designing and implementing a broad range of relevant services need to be reinforced for
promoting comprehensive DRR, reducing vulnerabilities while enhancing food security and
nutrition.
3. What (new) commitments are expected to be achieved?
Commitments to engage and contribute to the implementation the priority actions as
identified in the post-2015 DRR framework through the promotion of disaster resilient
agriculture, food security and nutrition. The focus of these commitments will need to
emphasize partnerships at scale commensurate to the scale of risks and shocks.
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Concept Note
Schedule
Tuesday 17 March 2015, 12:00-13:30
Room and Venue
Main Hall, Sendai International Conference Centre
UNISDR Focal Point
Animesh Kumar (animesh.kumar@unisdr.unon.org)
Organising Team
 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
 World Food Programme (WFP)
 World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
Contributors: European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil
Protection department (ECHO) (tbc), International Federation of the
Red Cross (IFRC), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) (tbc),
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), World Bank
(WB), World Farmers’ Organization (WFO)
Background and
Rationale
Disasters affect all dimensions of food security, often diminishing or
reversing gains in poverty reduction, agricultural development and in
the reduction of hunger. Large shocks as well as recurrent and less
visible “silent disasters” can cause serious damages and losses to
agriculture, forest, livestock and fisheries dependent livelihoods.
Moreover, disasters have a significant immediate and long term
impact on nutrition, due to reduced access to and availability of food,
increased difficulties in providing proper care and greater exposure to
contaminants. The most vulnerable are often smallholders and foodinsecure that are the least able to cope with shocks or manage risks,
which can trap poor households in a cycle of food insecurity and
poverty and deteriorate into long lasting food crises.
Food security, sustainable agriculture and nutrition play a key role for
resilient livelihoods that build on sustainable production, preserve the
natural resource base and ecosystem services, and are able to
withstand risks, shocks and climate variability. Critical components for
mainstreaming disaster risk reduction and management in food
security, agriculture and nutrition are well functioning institutional
and risk governance mechanisms, effective early warning systems on
weather /climate extremes and food insecurity, the dissemination of
good practices and technologies together with access to safety nets,
social protection and risk transfer mechanisms.
Session Objectives
 Illustrate the role and contributions of food security, disasterresilient agriculture and nutrition to the achievement of the goals
of the post 2015 framework for DRR.
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 Advocate for the need of mainstreaming DRR in agriculture, food
security and nutrition
Discussion agenda
and structure
The session will allocate 90 minutes for short presentations along
three thematic segments followed by a facilitated panel
discussion among key stakeholders. A fourth segment will feature
two country examples highlighting the value added of integrated
approaches. The session will close with the announcement for
commitments to contribute to the implementation of the Post2015 framework for DRR in the fields of agriculture, food security
and nutrition.
The session will be chaired by (TBC). Panelists will feature highlevel representatives from member states (Ministries of
Agriculture/Fisheries/Forestry
and/or
others),
regional
organizations, academia, civil society, and private sector. The
organizing team will provide a session facilitator.
Setting the scene:
How do disasters impact agriculture, food security and nutrition?
The session will start with showcasing data/figures on loss and
damages that provide evidence why is it so important to better
integrate DRR in the agriculture sectors as well as food security
and nutrition policy, planning and programming.
Panelist statements on core topics
Each panelist will be invited to deliver a short statements (5
minutes per panelists) to one of the below thematic segments
focusing on examples of successful DRR interventions, challenges
and key lessons learned.
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Segment1: Risk governance and DRR planning: Discuss the
importance of capacity development for and the
mainstreaming of DRR into sectoral and cross-sectoral
policy and planning frameworks and programming (using
examples form agriculture, fisheries/aquaculture, forestry,
food security and nutrition ); Showcasing an example how
the HFA framework served as instrument for sector
specific DRR planning.
Discussion guiding questions:
 What are the incentives for sectoral agencies to
integrate DRR in agriculture, food security and
nutrition interventions and/or vice versa? Which
framework conditions, and key ingredients within the
sectoral agencies are precondition to make a
mainstreaming process of DRR – in long standing,
strong technical agencies - a priority and successful?
 What are bottlenecks or the most critical gaps we
need to overcome if we want to successfully
mainstream DRR across sectors? And how?
 How can sectoral agencies catalyze DRR delivery
between national and local levels?
Segment 2: Highlight the need for effective early warning
systems (natural hazards, human factors) and
dissemination methods for DRR which can also enhance
synergies with climate change adaptation and sustainable
natural resources management for agriculture, food
security and nutrition.
Discussion guiding questions:
 What are the institutional requirements to ensure
effective early warning systems and DRR mechanisms
are in place to enhance agricultural risk management
for food security and nutrition?
 How to foster a better outreach to farmers and other
end-users in the agriculture related sectors to make
better use of available good practices and natural
hazard/disaster risk information?
Segment 3: Explore and discuss the role of food insecurity
and malnutrition as both consequence and key risk factors
that drive vulnerability. Extract key lessons and
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recommendations as to how safety net and social
protection systems as well as risk transfer mechanisms
can support DRR initiatives that aim at achieving food
security and ultimately contribute to building resilience of
communities and nations.
Discussion guiding questions:
 What is the role of food security and nutrition in
supporting communities’ and nations’ ability to deal
with shocks and stressors?
 How can safety net and social protection systems as
well as risk transfer mechanisms be applied so that
they achieve food security and nutrition outcomes and
ultimately contribute to building resilience?
 What investments and partnerships in the context of
the post-2015 framework on DRR are needed to
accelerate the achievement of ‘zero hunger’?
Segment 4: Lessons learned and recommendations for
integrated approached: Two country examples followed
by open discussion and questions.
Discussion guiding questions:
 What are the main principles of a comprehensive and
effective approach to risk management in agriculture,
food security and nutrition?
 What investments and commitments are needed to
build resilience at scale?
Expected outcomes
 Deepened understanding what are the sectoral implications
for comprehensive risk governance by highlighting potential
of the agriculture sector, food security and nutrition as part
of the solution rather their role as drivers.
 Recommendations for integrated and cross-sectoral
approaches for effective DRR that contributes to
achieving/improving food security and nutrition.
 Concrete commitments for continued support and
partnerships to implement the post 2015 framework on DRR.
Commitment /
special
announcement in
support of a post2015 framework for
DRR
We invite all stakeholders to announce your commitment on how
and when you engage and contribute to the implementation of
priority actions as identified in the post-2015 DRR framework for
building resilience through food security, disaster resilient
agriculture, and nutrition.
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Expected number of
participants
300-500
Background
documents
Complementary materials to be showcased (by organizers,
contributors, and panelist): Case studies, good practices, relevant
guidelines and tools for DRR in the agricultural subsectors, food
security and nutrition; hard copies of Plans of Action for DRR/M in
agriculture; leaflet and brochure on objective and approaches.
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