FAO urges forecasting for the arrival of La Niña in Latin America

Published at: 22/09/2024 10:02 PM

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) called for urgent action to address the heavy rains expected in Latin America and the Caribbean and for the rest of the year, as a result of the La Niña climate phenomenon.

It is expected that La Niña will cause serious consequences for food security around the world, especially in Southern and Eastern Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and also Southeast Asia.

The latest forecasts point to higher-than-normal rainfall between September and December, but which may persist until March 2025 in northern South America (Colombia and Venezuela), Central America (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua) and the Caribbean (Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic).

In Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, forecasts point to a high risk of floods and cyclones in the coming months. These hazards are expected to cause waterlogging, damage to crops, fishing boats and equipment, and livestock, also due to an increase in pests and diseases.

While the increased rainfall that La Niña will bring may be beneficial to agriculture in some areas, it can also cause severe flooding, waterlogged soils, crop diseases and animal mortality.

La Niña is a climate phenomenon characterized by the cooling of the waters of the Central and Eastern Pacific, which alters global weather patterns. It occurs every two to seven years and lasts between nine and 12 months.