FAO

In recent decades, the occurrence of climate- and weather-related disasters has increased, and globally, a vast number of agricultural livelihoods are compromised each year, with far-reaching effects on food security and ecosystems. This course is part of a series which aim to introduce the FAO Damage and Loss (D&L) methodology, developed by FAO to support countries to generate precise and holistic data for the agricultural sector. This can be used for national Disaster Risk Reduction/Management, resilience and to help monitor the achievement of global targets.

You will learn about:

• The concept of disaster impact assessment
• How agriculture is affected by a growing number of disasters, and the significant economic losses absorbed by the sector
• The importance of collecting regular and reliable data on disaster impacts
• How the D&L methodology contributes to monitoring the Sendai Framework, Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement
• How the D&L methodology can complement other post-disaster needs assessment methods and processes

The course is aimed at providing basic knowledge about the role and functions of the Food Security Cluster, both at global and national level. It is also aimed at building basic Cluster Coordination competencies and providing tools for efficient Food Security Cluster Coordination.

You will learn about

• Structure and objectives of the humanitarian response architecture
• Principles, advantages and challenges of the cluster approach
• Structure and objectives of the Food Security Cluster at global and country level
• Food Security Cluster’s role and core functions and key activities related to each
• Main responsibilities and tasks of a Food Security Cluster Coordinator

Acting early before a disaster has actually happened or reached its peak is critical: it can save lives and protect livelihoods from the immediate shocks, as well as protecting long-term development gains by increasing the resilience of local communities over time.

Using a series of examples and case studies from different countries and contexts, this course provides guidance to set-up an anticipatory action system, i.e. a set of provisions to link early warning signals to anticipatory action options and implementation arrangements. 

The course focuses on anticipatory action in the context of food security and agriculture.

You will learn about

• Anticipatory action and its role within the risk management system
• Ranking disaster risks in a given location to determine the priorities for anticipatory action
• Assessing available early warning information
• Setting-up an early warning system
• Using a crisis timeline to identify windows of opportunities for anticipatory action
• Prioritizing anticipatory actions and preparing an Anticipatory Action Plan
• Analysing the impact of anticipatory action projects

This series of courses analyses climate change impacts on agriculture, food security and food systems and provides an overview of the main climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies in agriculture. It also introduces the Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) approach and describes the 5-step process to implement it. The series comprises the following 7 courses:

• Introduction to climate-smart agriculture
• Climate-smart fisheries and aquaculture
• Climate-smart forestry
• Climate-smart livestock production
• Climate-smart soil and land management
• Climate-smart crop production
• Water management for climate-smart agriculture

You will learn about

• Climate change and its causes
• Climate change impacts on agriculture, food security and food systems
• The concept of climate change adaptation and mitigation and the related strategies that could be put in place in agriculture
• The CSA approach and the 5-step process to implement it
• Management practices for climate-smart agriculture across productive systems

This series of courses analyses climate change impacts on agriculture, food security and food systems and provides an overview of the main climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies in agriculture. It also introduces the Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) approach and describes the 5-step process to implement it. The series comprises the following 7 courses:

• Introduction to climate-smart agriculture
• Climate-smart fisheries and aquaculture
• Climate-smart forestry
• Climate-smart livestock production
• Climate-smart soil and land management
• Climate-smart crop production
• Water management for climate-smart agriculture

You will learn about

• Climate change and its causes
• Climate change impacts on agriculture, food security and food systems
• The concept of climate change adaptation and mitigation and the related strategies that could be put in place in agriculture
• The CSA approach and the 5-step process to implement it
• Management practices for climate-smart agriculture across productive systems

This course provides an overview of adaptation and mitigation strategies that can be implemented in response to climate change impacts on the fisheries and aquaculture sector.

You will learn about

• General facts on the fisheries and aquaculture sector 
• Impacts of climate change on the sector and specific elements on marine fisheries, inland fisheries and aquaculture 
• Main responses to climate change including: Adaptation measures and their practical application through case studies; and mitigation measures to reduce the sector’s carbon footprint

Risk assessments are prepared to develop a holistic risk management strategy. Assessing risks involves knowing how likely it is that each possible risk would occur, and what is their expected impact in terms of farm production or income losses. This course will look at what is needed to assess and prioritize risks including assessment methods - qualitative and quantitative - used at micro, meso and macro levels.

You will learn about

• Qualitative and quantitative methods commonly used to assess and prioritize risks
• The process and outcome of a risk assessment at local area and national levels
• Risk assessment and management capacity profiles in the country
• Key information required for carrying out a risk assessment

Responding to risk requires developing strategies which combine different risk management tools as well as policies and programs to address constraints and broader issues that create the context in which risks occur. This course will present the role that major stakeholders in the agrifood system can play to design Agriculture Risk Management (ARM) strategies and make them effective and sustainable.

You will learn about

• Describing an ARM strategy at farm, local and national level
• Comparing and selecting risk management tools to create ARM plans/strategies
• Explaining the roles and responsibilities of all the major stakeholders in formulating and implementing ARM strategies
• Understanding how information system, capacity development and mainstreaming can make ARM strategies effective and sustainable

Risks in agriculture arise from a variety of sources. There are several risk management options that can be used to either mitigate, transfer or cope with risks in agriculture. Choosing the most appropriate tool depends on various factors such as type of risk, tools availability, and level of responsibility. This course focuses on what can be done at the farm, local area/community, and national levels to manage risks in agriculture.

You will learn about

• Providing the outline of main on-farm and off-farm Agriculture Risk Management (ARM) tools
• Describing the major production, finance, market, and government-support related ARM tools
• Identifying the suitability of these tools by themselves or in combination
• Identify the suitability of these tools alone or in combination for a given situation
• Appreciating the advantages and disadvantages of the ARM tools

One of the impacts of climate change is an increase in the incidence, severity and unpredictability of natural disasters. This course explains how livelihoods and tenure rights are affected by natural disasters, and illustrates how responsible governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests can support a disaster management process through improved prevention, mitigation, preparedness, emergency response, and recovery and reconstruction.

You will learn about

• Impact of natural disasters on people’s tenure
• How insecure tenure increases vulnerability to natural disasters
• Responsible governance of tenure and disaster management processes
• Integrating tenure issues in prevention, mitigation, preparedness, emergency response, recovery, and reconstruction