Rome: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is aiming to raise USD521.6 million to enhance food production and implement climate-resilient agriculture solutions in Asia and the Pacific, including the Philippines. This initiative is part of FAO's larger USD2.5 billion Global Emergency and Resilience Appeal for 2026, which seeks to support over 100 million individuals across 54 countries and territories.
According to Philippines News Agency, the global appeal will finance life-saving emergency interventions, including the provision of seeds and tools, animal health campaigns, rapid livelihood recovery, and cash assistance. It will also fund resilience-building programs concentrating on climate- and biodiversity-positive agrifood solutions, water infrastructure, market access, agrifood systems restoration, and enhanced monitoring systems.
The USD521.6 million allocated for Asia and the Pacific aims to assist roughly 30.5 million people in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Timor-Leste. The FAO formally launched its inaugural Global Emergency and Resilience Appeal during the 179th Session of the FAO Council at its headquarters in Rome.
Philippine Permanent Representative to FAO Neal Imperial expressed support for the agency's initiative, highlighting the importance of timely emergency interventions to stabilize agricultural production, protect livelihoods, and ensure food availability during disasters. He stated, "Emergency agriculture interventions save livelihoods and accelerate recovery. They allow farmers to replant, restock, and repair assets quickly, preventing prolonged hunger, avoiding displacement, and reducing the need for extended humanitarian assistance."
FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu reported that acute food insecurity has increased threefold since 2016, despite substantial humanitarian funding. He emphasized, "The current model simply does not keep pace with today's realities. 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."
Drawing from the Philippines' experiences, Imperial highlighted the effectiveness of integrating anticipatory action with emergency agricultural interventions. He mentioned FAO's Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation Activities (SFERA), which supported farmers and fisherfolk during two typhoons in the Philippines in 2024. He also noted the Green Climate Fund-supported Adapting Philippine Agriculture to Climate Change (APA) project, a significant climate-resilience initiative led by the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.
The APA project currently aids 1.25 million farmers and manages 250,000 hectares under climate-resilient practices. During the 2023-2024 El Ni±o event in Isabela, the project provided cash and water management support to at least 4,000 people three months before peak drought conditions. Imperial concluded, "These experiences underscore that emergency response saves livelihoods now, while resilience ensures they withstand future shocks. The two must move together."
He further emphasized, "Rising needs cannot be met by doing more of the same. Cost-effectiveness is now a humanitarian imperative. Agricultural assistance remains one of the most impactful investments: it enables people to feed themselves, strengthens local economies, and delivers durable results with fewer resources."
