FAO warns: El Niño threatens food security
A senior official from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has called for urgent measures to protect farmers and rural communities from the impact of El Niño, warning that the weather phenomenon could intensify pressure on already fragile food systems. Nature knows no mercy, but it does know cycles.
El Niño is not a whim of the elements but a pattern that humanity has learned to predict. Yet predicting and preventing are two different things. When drought or flooding hits the fields, it is not just crops that suffer — it is people for whom the land is the only source of livelihood. If the international community fails to prepare in time, food prices will rise, and hunger will cast its shadow over the most vulnerable regions.
Dunja Dujanović, Senior Emergency and Rehabilitation Officer at FAO, said in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) that agriculture dependent communities are among the most vulnerable, as changing weather patterns disrupt production and livelihoods. "Let's say it is a natural phenomenon, but it generates extreme climatic conditions that then have serious consequences, especially for agriculture and food security, which depend on weather. So we are very concerned that this will lead to significant food crises by the end of this year and also early 2027, which is part of the natural cycle of the El Niño phenomenon," Dujanović said.
She added that the recurring nature of El Niño gives governments and humanitarian organisations an opportunity to prepare before the worst effects materialise. "Because El Niño, although it causes serious concern, is also a phenomenon that makes climate factors more predictable, since we know from historical patterns what will happen in which region of the world. So, for example, in the case of drought, we have a number of measures we can take.
We can work on staple crops, for instance, by distributing drought resistant varieties. We can rehabilitate irrigation. We can provide livestock with water, feed and veterinary care so that herds do not die during drought. In the case of floods, we can rehabilitate riverbanks, work on evacuating people and their animals from areas that may be affected," Dujanović said.
El Niño is a recurring warming of surface waters in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean that can disrupt weather patterns worldwide. Its impact on crops, water supplies and food prices is closely monitored by experts. The predictability of the phenomenon provides a window for preparation, but coordinated action at government and international levels is essential. FAO is already developing response measures, including the distribution of drought resistant crops, rehabilitation of irrigation systems and livestock support. But time is running out — the peak of the crisis is expected by the end of 2026.
As reported by CCTV+, the FAO is calling for immediate action to prevent a major food crisis that could affect millions of people in the world's most vulnerable regions.
