Thumbnail Image

Emergency Support to Vulnerable Households to Mitigate the Impact of Drought and Floods on Agriculture - TCP/DRK/3705

Year of publication 2020

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 9

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Project

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) In August 2018, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea faced one of the most severe heat waves/droughts in decades. Below average rainfall from mid-July until mid-August, normally the wettest months, coupled with high temperatures, resulted in moisture stress during critical crop development stages in localized areas of main crop-producing provinces. The six most affected provinces were North Hamgyong, North Hwanghae, South Hwanghae, South Hamgyong, South Pyongan and Nampo. The situation was further exacerbated by heavy rains in late August 2018, which caused flash flooding in the provinces of north and south Hwanghae. Over 9 000 people were displaced, nearly 1 800 residential buildings were destroyed or damaged, and 11 745 ha of arable land were flooded. With only 22 percent of the total land area of the country arable, an imminent crop failure would have serious consequences on the food security situation in the country. Despite a trend towards slow but steady growth of food production over the past five years (2012-2017), domestic production still falls short of meeting the demand for food by about one million tonnes in cereal equivalent. The erratic performance of the country’s agriculture sector is also caused by the recurrence of extreme weather events (drought and flood) - almost annually, hindering sowing and/or retarding the growth and development of planted crops - difficulties in cultivating the large mountainous terrain, and lack of access to modern production inputs, including fuel, tools and equipment for mechanized farming. In addition to general food insecurity, most people do not consume an adequately diverse diet, which reinforces cycles of undernutrition. The project focused on providing emergency support to mitigate the impact on crop production from the ongoing drought and floods, while also promoting complementary risk prevention and mitigation measures for more resilient farming systems.

Language English

Also available in:
No results found.

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Thumbnail Image
    Project
    Democratic People's Republic of Korea: Emergency Support to Improve Food Security of Vulnerable Farming Families during the Main Cropping Seasons 2013 (OSRO/DRK/301/Cha). Final Report 2014
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    The key objective of the project is to safeguard the lives of the food insecure farming families in targeted cooperative farms by increasing the production of main crops(paddy rice and maize) during the 2013 main cropping season through the provision of plastic sheets.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Project
    Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea: Emergency support to improve food security of vulnerable farming families during the autumn planting season 2013 (OSRO/DRK/302/CHA). Final Report 2014
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    The key objective of the project is to safeguard the lives of the food insecure farming families in the targeted cooperative farms by increasing the production of wheat during the 2013 autumn planting season through the provision of wheat seed and urea fertilizer. A field mission was conducted in June 2014 to collect information on wheat production in the assisted cooperative farms following the harvest.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Project
    Emergency Assistance to Mitigate the Impact of El Niño-Induced Drought on Livelihoods of Vulnerable Agricultural and Agropastoral Households in Zambia - TCP/ZAM/3703 2020
    Also available in:
    No results found.
    The agriculture sector in Zambia supports the livelihoods of nearly 85 percent of the population, which includes 17 million people located across three agroecological zones. The sector is currently facing an increasing number of hazards, such as recurrent dry spells, floods and pest insurgences, which affect crops and livestock of economic importance. The effects of drought, in particular, are being exacerbated by increased occurrences of El Niño weather patterns. Moreover, drier conditions are likely to lead to increased insurgences of pests, such as the fall armyworm (FAW), and cases of livestock disease. Prior to the project, the 2018/19 National Contingency Plan, which was jointly developed by the Government, UN agencies and non-governmental organizations, estimated that 609 608 agriculture-dependent households would be affected by extreme weather conditions, with around 280 000 people requiring food assistance. The affected population would also require emergency assistance that enables them to engage in agricultural activities to rebuild their livelihoods. To mitigate the effects of El Niño-induced drought in Zambia, the project sought not only to protect existing livelihood assets, including crops and livestock, against potential threats, but also promote agricultural practices and effective surveillance measures that support production.
Show more

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

No results found.