El Niño is the warming of sea surface temperature in the tropical Pacific, which occurs roughly every 2 to 7 years, lasting from 6 to 24 months. While the main threat to food production is reduced rainfall and drought in some regions, El Niño can also cause heavy rains and flooding in other regions. Climate change can make its impact more severe. Climatologists are predicting that the 2015‒2016 El Niño event is likely to be stronger than that of 1997‒1998 – currently the worst on record – and may persist until second quarter of 2016.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has as its Strategic Objective 5 to “Increase the resilience of livelihoods to threats and crises” 1. In support of its national counterparts, FAO aims to address the current and future needs of vulnerable people affected by the 2015–2016 El Niño event. It is widely recognized that by striking before a crisis has escalated into an emergency, disaster losses can be reduced and emergency response costs significantly decreased. Early actions strengthen the resilience of at-risk populations, mitigate the impact of disasters and help communities, governments and national and international humanitarian agencies to respond more effectively and efficiently.