Drought Risk Management
A collaborative program to build greater resilience to drought
and to mitigate its scourges on societies and economies
FAO’s work on drought aims to build societal capacities for drought risk management
globally with emphasis on drought-prone regions.
The programme’s objectives are:
• to improve the understanding and importance of drought risk management;
• to characterize drought and its management in different regions;
• to develop region-tailored guidelines to initiate drought strategies and plans; and
• to support countries in elaborating and walking through the process, on-demand.
What we do
We help to build national capacities on drought risk management through regional training workshops in
Eastern European, Central Asia, Latin America and Caribbean, Asia and Pacific, Southern and Eastern Africa,
Western Africa and Near East and North Africa.
We conduct studies on drought characterization and management at national and regional levels in Latin
and Central America, The Caribbean, Central Asia, Southern Africa, Eastern Africa, Near East and North Africa,
India and China.
Attention is given to raising awareness at decision-making level through the organization of a High-level
Meeting on National Drought Policy attended by ministers and heads of development organizations,
financing agencies, research centers and other stakeholders. FAO produces guidelines, policy and technical
materials to support member countries in the process of elaborating and implementing pro-active drought
management strategies.
Expected Outputs (at national, regional and global levels)
• Increased awareness of the economic and social added-values of
drought risk management
• Enhanced technical and managerial capacity to cope with drought
• Better knowledge of current drought characteristics, impacts and management
• Guidelines for the elaboration and adoption of drought risk management.
Increase the resilience of livelihoods
Contributes to FAO’s Strategic Objective 5
to threats and crises
Drought Risk Management
Background Percentage of food emergencies
in developing countries
Drought is a natural phenomenon that has drastic
80
implications on human lives, food insecurity and natural
resources degradation. Drought leads to water shortages
60
affecting agriculture, with social consequences such as
famine, hunger, and migration. Climate change is
40
gradually exacerbating droughts through increased
frequency and severity in many parts of the world.
20
While drought is difficult to forecast, its impacts can be
significantly mitigated. This can be achieved through a
more proactive, risk-based management approach. 0
2000 2001 2002
The latter increases societal resilience to better cope with
Flood Drought Conflict
drought impacts and has become possible thanks to
Refugees** Economic Problems Other
recent scientific and technological advances in drought
* total exceeds 100% because of ** includes internally
and water-scarcity management. multiple causes and cited for displaced people
many emergencies
Partners
The multi-disciplinary nature of the programme cuts across all technical and cooperation departments of FAO and
also builds a strong partnership with specialized organizations and research centers from outside FAO.
The collaborating partners include the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the Secretariat of the United
Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD), UN Water Decade on
Capacity Development (DPC), as well as the Robert B. Daugherty Water for Food Institute and the National Drought
Mitigation Center of the University of Lincoln-Nebraska, USA. Moreover, the programme is coordinated with
several national research centers and regional networks concerned with drought issues.
The Drought Risk Management programme addresses actual priorities of Member Countries in the field and responds to
I4586E/1/04.15
concrete needs in all regions. It falls within FAO Strategic Objectives SO2 and SO5 is led by NR (NRL, NRC) and carried out jointly
with Regional Offices (RAP and RNE), Sub-regional Offices (SFS, SEC, SLC, SNE), and Country Offices (FAO-Brazil, FAOR-Guyana,
FAOR-Laos, FAOR-Morocco, FAOR-Vietnam). Others are expected to join in 2015.
CONTACT US FAO - Land and Water Division (NRL) MORE INFORMATION
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla
00153 Rome, Italy [Link]
Tel: (+39) 06 570 53843
E-mail: NRL-Director@[Link]