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Assistance to Improve Local Agricultural Emergency Preparedness in Caribbean Countries Highly Prone to Hurricane Related Disasters

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Publication date
30/04/2008
Number of Pages
67
Language:
English
Type of Publication:
Studies
Focus Region:
Latin America & the Caribbean
Focus Topic:
Agricultural Value Chains / Agri-Businesses
Type of Risk:
Natural disasters
Type of Risk Managment Option:
Risk reduction/mitigation
Commodity:
Other
Author
Balfour Spence
Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

The recurrent impacts of hydro- meteorological hazards have wreaked havoc on environment, economy and society throughout the Caribbean region. The extreme vulnerability of the agricultural sector to a variety of hazards has been a perpetual focus of interventions in the Caribbean. Over the past decade, the FAO has regularly responded to the relief/rehabilitation/reconstruction needs of the sector in the aftermath of hurricane-related disasters. While such response and rehabilitation interventions are important, the extent of devastation caused to the agricultural sector by the 2004-2005 hurricane season stresses the need to move from a reactive to a proactive mode in order to facilitate more long term and sustainable benefits form interventions. Weaknesses in linking long-term development planning within the agricultural sector and the realities and projections of recurrent natural hazards/disasters and improving preparedness and mitigation measures are what are centrally addressed in this document.

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