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STORY: FAO / EXTREME HEAT IMPACTS ON AGRIFOOD SYSTEMS
TRT: 04:07
SOURCE: FAO
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT FAO ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: SEE THE SHOT LIST
21-22 OCTOBER 2024, MIFTA EL KHEIR, MAURITANIA
1. Wide shot, farmers walk on the desert
JULY 2017, ARGHAKHANCHI DISTRICT, NEPAL
2. Wide shot, pastoralists holding umbrella to protect himself from the sun
7-9 JULY 2018, SHARQIA GOVERNORATE, EGYPT
3. Various shots, tomato harvesters and driers working
13 FEBRUARY 2026, ROME, ITALY
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Kaveh Zahedi, Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations:
“Extreme heat is in many ways rewriting the script on agriculture, in terms of what farmers can produce, in terms of when they can produce it, and in some cases, whether they can produce the same food that has been feeding us for centuries.”
1-5 OCTOBER 2023, KAPOETA SOUTH COUNTY, SOUTH SUDAN
5. Close up, Michael Lokuru Kuri, 34, pastoralist, watching dry maize
6. Close up, Lokuru’s hands holding dry maize
13 FEBRUARY 2026, ROME, ITALY
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Kaveh Zahedi, Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations:
“Extreme heat is having an impact on crops. It's reducing crop yields. It's also increasing the incidence of pests and disease.”
7 JULY 2025, SAN JUAN NONUALCO, LA PAZ, EL SALVADOR
8. Wide shot, Farmer working on field with cow under sun
1-5 OCTOBER 2023, KAPOETA SOUTH COUNTY, SOUTH SUDAN
9. Wide shot, livestock drinking water under heat
11 SEPTEMBER 2024, SANTO ANTÔNIO DO LEVERGER, MATO GROSSO, BRAZIL
10. Various shots, water pond at farm and livestock
13 FEBRUARY 2026, ROME, ITALY
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Kaveh Zahedi, Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations:
“Obviously, extreme heat is going to make it much harder in terms of the productivity of livestock, in terms of the dairy industry, in terms of, actually, in some cases, increasing the deaths of livestock because of the sharp impact. So you're getting the impacts across all sectors of agriculture and food systems.”
18 APRIL 2024, MINDORO PROVINCE, PHILIPPINES
12. Various shots, underwater life
JANUARY 2021, KAMPONG CHNANG TOWN, CAMBODIA
13. Various shots, fishers working in a canoe
13 FEBRUARY 2026, ROME, ITALY
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Kaveh Zahedi, Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations:
“We also see an impact on, fisheries and aquaculture. Around 15 percent of fisheries have already been impacted by incidents of extreme heat, leading to economic losses of over 6 billion USD.”
15 OCTOBER 2025, SHOLGARA DISTRICT, BALKH PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN,
15. Various shots, soybean field and farmers harvesting soybean under intense heat.
13 FEBRUARY 2026, ROME, ITALY
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Kaveh Zahedi, Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations:
“It's not just about having to work in a slightly hotter environment. It is about heat that is dangerous to agricultural workers, with impacts in terms of chronic disease and in extreme cases, mortality.”
6-12 JULY 2025, COTACACHI, ECUADOR
17. Wide shot, dry maize
27 NOVEMBER 2025, INTIPUCÁ, EL SALVADOR
18. Wide shot, dry maize fields caused by prolonged drought
21-22 OCTOBER 2024, MIFTA EL KHEIR, MAURITANIA
19. Wide shot, dune encroachment
13 FEBRUARY 2026, ROME, ITALY
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Kaveh Zahedi, Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations:
“Extreme heat doesn't just have an impact on its own, but when it combines with other hazards, the impact multiplies, especially when it combines with drought. You have extreme heat and drought, and once they combine together, you see an even greater, magnified impact, reducing yields, even greater impact on livestock and fisheries, again, reducing the yields, reducing the productivity and, of course, an impact on farming communities and people. So in that way, it is the ultimate risk multiplier.”
SEPTEMBER 2023, CHOLUTECA, HONDURAS
21. Wide shot, construction of a ferrocement water harvester
22. Various shots, farmer using an irrigation system
OCTOBER 2025, MBALA, UGANDA
23. Various shots, farmer in a field planting a hybrid rice variety that is water-saving and drought-resistant
13 FEBRUARY 2026, ROME, ITALY
24. SOUNDBITE (English) Kaveh Zahedi, Director of the Office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations:
“Early warning alone is not always enough. And that's why we need finance. And we need insurance to help support farmers and agricultural communities in a way buffer the impacts of increased incidence of extreme heat.”
17 JULY 2025, SAN JUAN NONUALCO, LA PAZ, EL SALVADOR
25. Wide shot, Farmer working in maize field
Extreme heat events currently threaten the livelihoods and health of over a billion people, with the prospect for damage to livestock herds and crop yields set to soar even higher, according to a new report co-authored by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The “Extreme heat and agriculture” report shows that the frequency, intensity and duration of extreme heat events have risen sharply over the past half century. Agricultural workers and agrifood systems are on the frontlines, absorbing the greatest impacts.
Extreme heat refers to periods when daytime and night-time temperatures stay above normal for long enough to cause physiological stress and direct damage to crops, livestock, aquatic species, forests and people.
These impacts cut across every part of agrifood systems, from crops and livestock to fisheries and forests, with profound implications for food security, said FAO Assistant Director-General, Kaveh Zahedi, Director of the office of Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment.
Zahedi said, “Extreme heat is in many ways rewriting the script on agriculture, in terms of what farmers can produce, in terms of when they can produce it, and in some cases, whether they can produce the same food that has been feeding us for centuries.”
Jointly prepared by FAO and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the report positions extreme heat as an acute hazard that is already becoming a frontline threat to food security worldwide.
Zahedi said that the report brings together the latest science on extreme heat by explaining what drives it, who is most exposed, and what it is already doing to crops, livestock, forests, and the people who work in these systems.
Zahedi said, “Extreme heat is having an impact on crops. It's reducing crop yields. It's also increasing the incidence of pests and disease.”
Rising temperatures are shrinking the “thermal safety margin” that crops, livestock and aquatic species need to function and survive, the report shows. For many key agricultural species, stress often begins in the 25–35°C range at the moments that matter most, such as flowering and reproduction. As climate change drives more days into the mid-40s°C in major breadbaskets, those limits are already being crossed.
In temperatures above their comfort range, animals drink more, eat less, and reduce movement as they struggle to cool down. If high temperatures persist, the strain can escalate into death, Zahedi explained.
Zahedi said, “Obviously, extreme heat is going to make it much harder in terms of the productivity of livestock, in terms of the dairy industry, in terms of, actually, in some cases, increasing the deaths of livestock because of the sharp impact. So you're getting the impacts across all sectors of agriculture on food systems.”
Even when not lethal, extreme heat reduces dairy yields and lowers the fat and protein content of milk. An analysis of 320 million daily milk records cited in the report found that yields fell by 0.5 percent for every hour cows were exposed to high heat stress, with losses persisting for up to 10 days. In some heatwaves, beef cattle mortality has reached as high as 24 percent.
Zahedi also explained that not only terrestrial food systems are being affected, with extreme heat having an economic impact on fisheries and aquaculture production valued at over 6 billion USD.
Zahedi said, “We also see an impact on, fisheries and aquaculture. Around 15 percent of fisheries have already been impacted by incidents of extreme heat, leading to economic losses of over 6 billion USD.”
Critically, extreme heat also takes a toll on humans, especially agricultural labourers, for whom it can be fatal, said Zahedi.
Zahedi said, “It's not just about having to work in a slightly hotter environment. It is about heat that is dangerous to agricultural workers, with impacts in terms of chronic disease and in extreme cases, mortality.”
Worker productivity drops by 2–3 percent for every degree above 20°C, according to the report. The number of days each year when it is simply too hot to safely work outside may rise to 250 by the end of the century in parts of South Asia, tropical Sub-Saharan Africa and Central and South America under high emission scenarios.
The full danger of extreme heat lies not only in its direct impacts, but also in its role as “the ultimate risk multiplier,” said Zahedi. The worst damage comes when heat combines with other hazards, especially drought, turning climate stress into compound losses that show up as lower yields, parched pastures, higher fire risk and deeper food insecurity.
Zahedi said, “Extreme heat doesn't just have an impact on its own, but when it combines with other hazards, the impact multiplies, especially when it combines with drought. You have extreme heat and drought, and once they combine together, you see an even greater, magnified impact, reducing yields, even greater impact on livestock and fisheries, again, reducing the yields, reducing the productivity and, of course, an impact on farming communities and people. So in that way, it is the ultimate risk multiplier.”
The report sets out adaptation strategies, case studies and policy recommendations to reduce heat-related losses across agriculture and food systems.
It points to practical measures that can be implemented now, from selective breeding and adjusted planting windows to management changes that protect crops and livestock during high-heat periods. In practice, that can be as simple as shading crops with cloth or solar panels, storing water, or using low-cost cooling misters around livestock. It can also mean changing routines: feeding cattle in cooler hours, and prioritizing shade and reliable water for poultry, which cannot sweat.
Early warnings such as forecasts of a prolonged drought are central to reducing the impact on farmers. FAO is already working with countries to implement mitigation measures, but without better forecasts and greater investment, the most effective climate solutions will remain limited, said Zahedi.
Zahedi said, “Early warning alone is not always enough. And that's why we need finance. And we need insurance to help support farmers and agricultural communities in a way buffer the impacts of increased incidence of extreme heat.”
Access to financial services, including cash transfers, insurance, payment systems and shock responsive social protection, will also be essential for enabling and sustaining all forms of adaptation, according to the report.
