“How can we ensure food security in a world with ever more people, exposed to ever more intense and frequent hazards?” asks José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

While in some parts of the world, food production is going high-tech, the vast majority of the world’s farmers still rely on rainfall.

“The livelihoods of 2.5 billion family farmers depend on agriculture, and the sector accounts for as much 30 percent of national GDP in countries like Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Niger and Mozambique, among others.”

For countries like these, food security and economic well-being are seriously threatened by drought, floods, tsunamis or severe weather events. Pests and diseases, wars and economic crises too wreak havoc on agricultural communities and infrastructure.

A more sustainable approach to food production would help us protect the environment and build the resilience of our communities in the face of disasters, says da Silva. “There is a rich tool kit of options already available, such as conservation agriculture and agroforestry, strengthening producer organizations, or establishing field schools to disseminate best practices.”

He says more needs to be done to harness the potential of agriculture in reducing disaster-related risks and to factor agriculture, food security and nutrition into strategies for bolstering up the resilience of societies.

From 14-18 March 2015, the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction is being held in Sendai. Japan. FAO intends to use this event to highlight how risk-sensitive development in the agriculture-food-nutrition sector is an essential building block for enhancing overall global resilience to disasters.

Read the full story: Feeding a Warmer, Riskier World