UN Agencies Sound Alarm on Extreme Heat’s Impact on Agrifood Systems

News in Brief

-New FAO report says extreme heat is ravaging global agrifood systems, losing half a trillion work hours yearly while cutting crop yields over 30°C and stressing livestock from 25°C.

-The report urges heat-resilient crops, adjusted planting, better management, early warnings and financial tools like insurance. 

Extreme heat events are now a defining challenge for agrifood systems worldwide, causing the loss of half a trillion work hours annually and threatening crops, livestock, fisheries, forests and farm workers. 

These findings were revealed in the joint report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), released on April 22, 2026. The findings, titled Extreme Heat and Agriculture, detail how prolonged high temperatures above normal ranges trigger physiological stress across food production chains, with their impacts already pushing global food systems to the brink.

The report, which was presented at COP30, underscores that agricultural workers face a 35 times higher risk of heat-related death, with projections of up to 250 days per year too hot to work in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria.

In Nigeria, where agriculture employs over a third of the workforce and contributes significantly to GDP, these risks amplify vulnerabilities in the still-developing farming systems prevalent in the country, where the major food-producing regions face increasing challenges.

Speaking on the problem, the WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo said that extreme heat is increasingly restricting the conditions under which agrifood systems operate. He further warns that the extreme climate conditions compound risk factors and magnify existing weaknesses across food systems.

FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu also described extreme heat as a major risk multiplier, exerting pressure on crops, livestock, fisheries, forests and dependent communities. 

Devastating Impacts on Crops and Livestock

According to the report, major crops see yields decline above 30°C due to weakened structures, sterile pollen and toxic compounds, with potatoes and barley affected at lower thresholds.

Livestock suffer stress from 25°C, especially pigs and poultry lacking sweat glands, leading to reduced growth, lower dairy yields, organ failure and higher carbon footprints from inefficient production.

In oceans, 91 per cent experienced marine heatwaves in 2024, lowering oxygen and straining fish stocks. Forests are also affected, as extreme heat disrupts photosynthesis and increases the risk of wildfires.

In Nigeria, these global patterns hit hard. Heatwaves in early 2024 reached 41°C in the north, causing droughts that reduced productivity and wilted plants through dehydration. Farmers in Taraba, Kaduna and north-central areas report maize and rice losses from prolonged dry spells and heat, with experts warning of heat stress on livestock health, fertility and mortality. 

Nigerian initiatives like the introduction of heat-tolerant and disease-tolerant crop varieties and the promotion of irrigation-fed farming and other climate-smart agriculture practices are offering hope to many farmers in the country. 

Compound Risks and Regional Toll

Extreme heat amplifies droughts, water scarcity, wildfires, pests and diseases, creating cascading effects. Examples include Kyrgyzstan's 2025 event with 10°C above normal, slashing cereal harvests 25 per cent amid locusts; Brazil's 2023-2024 heat cutting soy 20 per cent; and North America's 2021 wave sparking fires and fruit losses.

Nigeria mirrors these too as the 2024-2025 heatwaves devastated Taraba farms, while north-central traders and smallholder farmers face income drops from heat-reduced markets and crop failures. Climate change has increased droughts by 28 per cent since the 1990s, hitting staples like maize, cassava, millet and yams. EOS Data Analytics links prolonged heat to stunted growth and lower harvests, urging precautions.

Urgent Adaptation Measures for Nigerian Farmers

The report urges heat-resilient crops, adjusted planting, better management, early warnings and financial tools like insurance. 

“Protecting the future of agriculture and ensuring global food security will require not only building on-farm resilience but also…a decisive transition away from a high-emissions future,” the agencies conclude.