Natural disasters caused 70 billion USD damage to agriculture between 2003 and 2013

About the quarter of the damages caused by natural disasters affect the agricultural sector in developing countries – the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) states in its recent study.

The FAO assessment said between 2003 and 2013, natural disasters and hazards in developing nations affected more than 1.9 billion people and the cost of the damage was estimated to be in excess of US $494bn.

However, the exact impact on the agricultural sector was unreported and “therefore unknown”.

It observed: “There is a critical information gap in terms of the quantitative economic impact of disasters on agriculture and on the livelihoods and food security of the populations affected. (MTI)