The impact of Disasters on agriculture
and food security
Digital solutions for reducing
risks and impacts
2025
Agriculture and food security face unprecedented challenges from the escalating frequency and intensity of disasters worldwide. This report provides a comprehensive analysis of how disasters disrupt agricultural systems across multiple dimensions — from immediate production losses to cascading effects through infrastructure, markets, financial systems, and ecosystem services. It examines the complex pathways through which hazards affect crops, livestock, fisheries, and aquaculture, while highlighting critical gaps in current assessment methodologies that do not capture the full spectrum of impacts, including non-economic losses, differentiated effects on at-risk groups, and long-term consequences for vulnerable communities.
Alongside documenting these mounting challenges, the report charts a transformative path forward through digital innovation. It demonstrates how emerging technologies — from satellite monitoring and artificial intelligence to mobile advisory services and predictive analytics — are revolutionizing disaster risk management in agriculture. Through case studies and practical examples, the analysis reveals how digital solutions enable the shift from reactive response to proactive prevention, supporting early warning systems, anticipatory action, and resilience building. Emphasizing that technology alone cannot drive change, the report underscores the critical importance of human-centred design, institutional capacity, enabling policy frameworks, and diverse partnerships to ensure that digital transformation serves the needs of smallholder farmers and vulnerable communities most exposed to disaster risks.
