Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
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In many instances, drought-tolerant food plants that were traditionally
used have been substituted in recent decades by other crops or varieties,
and some are now perceived negatively. Nutrition education programs
in this case could include the promotion of underexploited traditional
foods (including production/collection, storage, processing, preparation,
and consumption) involving a shift in food habits back to formerly familiar
foods, rather than introduction of new ones. FAO's Nutrition Programmes
Service, in collaboration with Crop and Grassland Service, supports such
programs.
FAO's Food Security and Agricultural Projects Analysis Service provides
technical assistance to governments and regional organizations to develop
drought mitigation plans. Though the objective of this assistance is pre-
ventive, it may be a component of broader assistance to develop drought
preparedness plans. It typically includes elements such as (1) analysis of
the frequency, severity, history, and impacts of drought in the region or
country, (2) analysis of responses of different groups of the population
to drought, including both longer-term adaptation of livelihood systems
and shorter-term coping mechanisms, (3) analysis of measures to under-
take drought mitigation measures and identification of the national and
regional institutions, including NGOs, private sector, and community or-
ganizations that can implement the action plan. Assessment of the strengths
and weaknesses of the action plans and identification of the associated risks
are also conducted.
FAO supports interinstitutional drought mitigation planning workshops
and other activities at national and local levels. These are geared to for-
mulate action strategies and plans. Prominent issues in such strategies are
how best to support, strengthen, and supplement existing coping mech-
anisms. Drought-afflicted populations must minimize the cost of putting
such mechanisms into effect. These require a good base of information on
local livelihood systems and mechanisms used by different groups to cope
with drought, which is part of early warning and food information systems.
FAO has been, and continues to be, actively involved in helping coun-
tries prepare for and respond to the adverse impact of El Niño (chapter 3).
For several decades, FAO has spearheaded agricultural improvement and
rural development in arid, semiarid, and dry subhumid zones ravaged by
drought and desertification. These activities involve emergency and reha-
bilitation actions in the event of agricultural drought.
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Long
PgEn
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Lo ng-term Drought Prevention Programs
FAO has assisted countries in implementing long-term preventive measures
against agricultural drought. Examples of such measures promoted by
FAO include programs to support the construction of wells and small-scale
irrigation development programs in southern Africa and Central America,
the development of drought-resistant cropping patterns for South Asia, the
Sahel, eastern and southern Africa, and the Caribbean, the preparation of
a disaster preparedness strategy for the member countries of the IGAD in
 
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