A new report released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) last Friday offers a stark numerical picture of how climate disasters are devastating farms, farmers and food systems across the globe. According to the assessment, climate-related disasters caused an estimated $3.26 trillion in agricultural losses between 1991 and 2023. Cereal crops suffered the most severe blow, with 4.6 billion tonnes destroyed, while fruits and vegetables accounted for another 2.8 billion tonnes in losses. Meat and dairy production was also deeply affected, with 900 million tonnes lost during this period. The FAO emphasises that the Global South has endured a disproportionate share of this damage, particularly lower-middle-income countries, which experienced losses amounting to 5 per cent of their agricultural GDP.
Regionally, Asia emerged as the worst-hit continent, absorbing 47 per cent of the global losses, or roughly $1.53 trillion. This reflects both Asia’s vast agricultural footprint and its heightened vulnerability to extreme weather events. These massive losses have a direct impact on people’s daily lives: reduced production has resulted in a global decline of 320 kilocalories of food availability per person per day. For countries already grappling with chronic food insecurity, such as Pakistan, climate disasters now pose a major obstacle to achieving long-term food stability. Although the report highlights the promise of AI- and machine learning–based forecasting tools for agriculture, these innovations remain out of reach for many poorer nations.
The digital gap in countries like Pakistan presents an added hurdle. Rural communities—where most farming occurs—continue to face inadequate internet access and limited exposure to modern technology, making it difficult to adopt advanced climate-risk tools. The report reveals that just one year after the catastrophic 2022 floods, the 2023 monsoon season affected nine million people and destroyed 849,000 hectares of crops across the country. Many may be surprised by these figures, as 2022 and 2024 are often regarded as the most devastating monsoon years in recent memory. Complementing the FAO’s findings, Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance reported on the same day that floods in 2024 caused an estimated $2.9 billion in economic losses, leading to a projected 0.3–0.7 per cent drop in GDP growth for FY2026. Agriculture once again absorbed the largest share of the damage, and inflation surged from 3.0 per cent in August to 5.6 per cent in September, further tightening the cost-of-living pressures on households.
Such persistent and escalating losses are clearly unsustainable. Under these conditions, it is fair to ask who will willingly continue farming in the coming decades. Farmers—the backbone of Pakistan’s food system—are already struggling with urban encroachment, water shortages, and socio-economic injustice. Adding repeated climate-driven disasters to this burden will only push more people away from agriculture. While Pakistan cannot prevent natural calamities on its own, it does have the ability to strengthen and safeguard its agricultural sector. This will require significant investment in resilient infrastructure—physical, digital and administrative—to shield farms against climate shocks. Even if managing the monsoon becomes increasingly challenging, the state must ensure that farmers can experience stability and sustainability during the rest of the year.
As global leaders gather for COP 30, Pakistan should take every opportunity to highlight the climate injustices it faces. Even with some major world leaders absent, the message remains essential: countries like Pakistan are paying for a climate crisis they did not create, and millions are being pushed toward hunger because of emissions from richer nations. Few causes make a stronger case for climate compensation and financial justice than this one.
Shafaqna Pakistan
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