FAO receives USD 8 million to support rural families affected by conflict and climate-related shocks in Colombia

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with funding from the Regional Humanitarian Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean (RHPF LAC), is implementing an USD 8 million humanitarian response aimed at saving lives by protecting and restoring the livelihoods of 11,200 rural households (approximately 40,000 people) in Colombia.

According to the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP), 6.9 million people in Colombia are in need of humanitarian assistance, of whom 6.6 million are experiencing acute food insecurity. In this context of conflict, displacement and recurrent climate-related shocks, the ability of rural households to produce food and sustain their livelihoods has been severely affected.

In the areas hardest hit by the crisis, disrupted agricultural cycles, crop and livestock losses, and reduced access to land and markets have accelerated the deterioration of rural livelihoods. This situation has further increased food insecurity, forcing many households to resort to negative coping strategies that erode their productive assets.

"For thousands of rural families in Colombia, this crisis is not only about losing their crops or livestock—it is about losing their ability to feed themselves every day. Supporting agricultural production is a life-saving intervention that enables families to survive today while preserving their dignity for tomorrow," said Agustín Zimmermann, FAO Representative in Colombia.

Against this backdrop, the intervention focuses on the immediate protection and recovery of agricultural and livestock-based livelihoods in order to prevent further deterioration of food security and support the early recovery of the productive capacity of the most affected households. This assistance will enable families to restore food production in the short term, protect essential productive assets and reduce their reliance on negative coping mechanisms.

Key activities

The response includes restoring agricultural production through the provision of seeds, fertilizers, tools and agricultural inputs to support both household food consumption and income generation. It also includes support for livestock production through the provision of animal feed, nutritional supplements and veterinary inputs, together with specialized technical assistance to protect and restore productive livestock.

In addition, veterinary services will include animal health assessments, priority treatment and the provision of essential medicines to restore animal health and productivity. Together, these actions will help restore key productive assets and halt the progressive erosion of livelihoods in crisis-affected communities.

Priority areas

The intervention will be implemented in three departments prioritized under the 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) and classified as severity levels 4 and 5. In Cauca, assistance will reach 1,200 households (approximately 4,800 people) in the municipality of Argelia. In Córdoba, 6,000 households (approximately 20,520 people) in the municipalities of Tierralta, San José de Uré, Puerto Libertador, Valencia, Montelíbano and Montería will receive support. In La Guajira, the intervention will benefit 4,000 households (approximately 13,680 people) in the municipalities of Riohacha, Dibulla, Maicao, Uribia and San Juan del Cesar.

This emergency agriculture intervention represents a vital contribution to the humanitarian response in Colombia, aimed at saving lives, protecting and restoring livelihoods, and helping the most vulnerable rural communities withstand recurrent shocks while reducing their risk of falling into more severe levels of acute food insecurity.

About the RHPF LAC

The Regional Humanitarian Fund for Latin America and the Caribbean (RHPF LAC), managed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), finances life-saving humanitarian response activities aligned with the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) in crisis settings.