Food ; /PHOTO; Pexel
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched its first-ever Global Emergency and Resilience Appeal, calling for $2.5 billion to assist over 100 million people across 54 countries in 2026.
The Appeal seeks to put agricultural solutions at the heart of crisis responses, linking urgent humanitarian needs with long-term resilience. By consolidating all requirements into a single framework, FAO aims to address immediate threats while reducing repeated, costly interventions in the future.
FAO Director-General QU Dongyu highlighted that acute food insecurity has tripled since 2016, even with high humanitarian funding levels.
“The current model simply does not keep pace with today’s realities,” he said, emphasizing that supporting farmers to maintain production is key to ensuring food availability.
When farmers can continue producing, communities stabilize, and the path to resilience becomes real.
The inaugural Appeal reflects a shift in approach: it is Member-driven, reality-driven, demand-driven, and solutions-driven, with cost efficiency at its core.
Speaking at the World Food Forum earlier this year, young people in crisis-affected regions voiced a desire for opportunity rather than permanent handouts a call this Appeal directly responds to.
Focusing on Agricultural Solutions for Long-Term Impact
Traditional humanitarian aid, FAO notes, struggles to sustainably address the drivers of food insecurity in protracted crises.
While 90% of humanitarian resources are spent in long-running emergencies, hunger continues to rise, particularly in rural areas where 80% of those facing acute food insecurity live.
Many rely on farming, herding, fishing, or forestry, yet only 5% of humanitarian food-sector funding currently supports agricultural livelihoods.
Strengthening local food production improves availability, stabilizes markets, creates jobs, and strengthens communities, especially in countries such as Sudan, South Sudan, Afghanistan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Appeal emphasizes anticipatory action and rapid agricultural support, including seed distributions, livestock vaccination campaigns, infrastructure rehabilitation, tool provision, cash assistance, and market-oriented interventions, all proven to be highly cost-effective in conflict- and climate-affected contexts.
Cost-Effective Investments Deliver Strong Returns
Evidence cited in the Appeal demonstrates that early agricultural action can deliver benefit–cost ratios of up to 7:1, meaning every dollar invested in protecting production can prevent up to seven dollars in losses and reduce humanitarian needs later.
By focusing on both emergency response and long-term resilience, FAO aims to create systems that prevent repeated crises.
The Appeal allocates:
- $1.5 billion for life-saving emergency interventions benefiting 60 million people.
- $1 billion for resilience programmes reaching 43 million people, including agrifood solutions with climate, biodiversity, and food security benefits.
- $70 million for global services such as evidence systems, food chain monitoring, anticipatory action, and coordination across humanitarian, development, and peace efforts.
Regional Reach and Priorities
The Appeal would prioritize countries across Asia, Africa, the Near East, Latin America, and Europe. Funding plans include:
Asia and the Pacific: $521.6 million to support 30.5 million people in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, and Timor-Leste.
Near East and North Africa: $519.1 million for 29.2 million people in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, Palestine, and Yemen.
Eastern Africa: $471.6 million for 18.4 million people in Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
West and Central Africa: $593.4 million to assist 17.7 million people in Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, CAR, Chad, DRC, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Southern Africa: $179.6 million for 5.3 million people in Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Latin America and the Caribbean: $111.9 million for 1.3 million people in Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, and Venezuela.
Europe: $64.7 million for 358,713 people in Ukraine.
A Call for Collective Action
FAO emphasizes that this Appeal represents a commitment to protect food production, strengthen livelihoods, and reduce future humanitarian needs.
“This Global Appeal reflects the new, faster, leaner and more effective FAO,” Director-General QU Dongyu said, urging donors, governments, and partners to invest in solutions that help families withstand shocks and restore production.
By focusing on emergency agricultural support and long-term resilience, the FAO Global Emergency and Resilience Appeal aims to deliver maximum impact for the most vulnerable communities, ensuring that every dollar contributes to stability, dignity, and the reduction of future humanitarian crises.
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