FAO’s inaugural appeal focuses on cost-effective agricultural solutions, aiming to support 100 million people across 54 countries in 2026.
ROME: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched its first-ever Global Emergency and Resilience Appeal, seeking $2.5 billion to support over 100 million people in 54 countries and territories in 2026. This historic appeal aims to address rising levels of acute food insecurity by integrating emergency agricultural assistance with long-term resilience solutions, focusing on sustainable agricultural practices and farmer support.
FAO Director-General QU Dongyu emphasized the importance of strengthening how food crisis responses are designed and delivered, ensuring that every contribution has the greatest impact. “Acute food insecurity has tripled since 2016, despite high levels of humanitarian funding. The current model simply does not keep pace with today’s realities,” said Dr. QU. “Supporting farmers to maintain production is critical to ensure food availability. When farmers can keep producing, communities stabilize, and the path to resilience becomes real.”
The appeal is a response to the growing global food insecurity crisis, which affects more than 1 billion people worldwide. Obvious imbalances in current humanitarian aid strategies highlight the need for a more effective approach, with only 5% of humanitarian food-sector funding supporting agricultural livelihoods despite 80% of those facing food insecurity relying on agriculture.
The appeal divides its funding into two main categories:
- $1.5 billion for life-saving interventions: This includes providing essential seeds, tools, animal health campaigns, rapid livelihood recovery, and cash assistance for 60 million people.
- $1 billion for resilience-building programs: Focused on agrifood solutions with benefits to climate, biodiversity, food security, water infrastructure, market access, and the restoration of agrifood systems, benefiting 43 million people.
A portion of the funds, $70 million, will go toward global services like monitoring food chain threats and ensuring coordination between humanitarian, development, and peace efforts.
Regional Breakdown:
- Asia and the Pacific: $521.6 million for 30.5 million people.
- Near East and North Africa: $519.1 million for 29.2 million people.
- Eastern Africa: $471.6 million for 18.4 million people.
- West and Central Africa: $593.4 million for 17.7 million people.
- Southern Africa: $179.6 million for 5.3 million people.
- Latin America and the Caribbean: $111.9 million for 1.3 million people.
- Europe: $64.7 million for 358,713 people in Ukraine.
In his statement, Dr. QU highlighted that the appeal is not just about responding to immediate food shortages but focusing on long-term, sustainable solutions that can help families withstand future shocks. By prioritizing anticipatory action, such as timely seed distribution and livestock vaccination campaigns, the appeal aims to create a more resilient global food system. FAO urges donors, governments, and partners to invest in solutions that will restore agricultural production and reduce future humanitarian needs.
FAO’s call for collective action aims to mobilize the global community to address food insecurity and provide essential resources for the most vulnerable communities. “This Global Appeal reflects the new, faster, leaner, and more effective FAO,” concluded Dr. QU.
