Originally published as an Op-Ed on Down to Earth.
Historically, the agriculture and disaster-management sectors have acted independently. The farming industry has overseen the welfare of smallholders, with disaster management organisations only becoming involved when destructive events demand rescue and rehabilitation efforts.
However, such siloed and reactive approaches are out of step with the modern world.
Global development goals, including the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, seek to lessen the impacts of natural catastrophes and promote sustainable development.
But climate change is causing more intense and frequent disasters, which have the potential to de-rail progress. Achieving the goals under such circumstances calls for a more proactive and collaborative approach, in which sectors work together to plan for, and mitigate the worst impacts of, disasters…
