Agrifood systems are intrinsically linked to climate change and are particularly vulnerable to its impacts. Each year hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of crops and livestock production is lost due to disaster events, undermining hard-won development gains and livelihoods for farmers. At the same time, agrifood systems are substantial contributors of emissions. As such, agrifood systems must play a central role in providing solutions for climate change – both adaptation and mitigation – while meeting the food security needs of present and future generations.

The communities that support and depend on agrifood systems are on the front line of loss and damage associated with climate change. Loss and damage can generally be described as the negative impact of climate change that occurs despite mitigation and adaptation efforts. Addressing loss and damage in the agrifood system is crucial, given its importance for livelihoods and sustainable development. Taking collective action is essential to tackle loss and damage in agrifood systems to ensure that the livelihoods of the most vulnerable communities are adequately protected and food security needs are met.

The purpose of this report is to stimulate discussions on the central role of agrifood systems in the loss and damage debate and identify the gaps in data, knowledge and finance that need to be addressed. The report provides an overview of the loss and damage concept, the status of analytical methodologies and tools, a summary of the reporting on loss and damage in nationally determined contributions (NDCs), an outline of the policy needs and some preliminary analysis of the financing needs. Overall, support to countries needs to be targeted and strengthened so that loss and damage in agrifood systems can be dealt with as early as possible. This support needs to ensure that no one is left behind while striving for better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life.

Some key findings:

FAO researchers delved into the NDCs – commonly understood as national climate commitments as part of the Paris Agreement—of 168 countries as of June 30, 2023, shedding light on how nations address loss and damage and its specific implications for agrifood systems.

Loss and damage recognition: Over one-third of countries explicitly mentioned "loss and damage" in their NDCs, signaling a growing recognition of the issue. This emphasizes the increasing importance vulnerable nations place on addressing climate-induced losses and damages.

Geographical distribution: Notably, three-fourths of countries explicitly mentioning loss and damage are middle-income nations. The mentions are concentrated in Latin America and the Caribbean, followed by East Asia and the Pacific, and Europe and Central Asia.

Agrifood impact: Agriculture emerges as the most affected sector, with 40% of countries reporting economic losses explicitly linked to agriculture. The study reveals that, for countries reporting on loss and damage, agriculture stands out as the single most impacted sector.

Economic vs. non-economic Losses: The analysis distinguishes between economic and non-economic losses. Among countries reporting on loss and damage, 33% of non-economic losses are related to the agricultural sector, highlighting the multifaceted impact of climate change on communities.

Hazard types: Extreme weather events dominate the drivers of economic losses, with 37% of mentions related to the agriculture sector. Slow-onset events, while reported by a smaller group of countries, are also tied to agriculture, emphasizing the sector's vulnerability to diverse climate-related challenges.

The report concludes by proposing elements for a way forward. These include the need for setting out a clear working definition of loss and damage in agrifood systems, continuing to work on tools specifically for loss and damage assessments in agrifood systems, and strengthening capacity and data availability on losses and damages in agrifood systems including the data on financial needs.