Measuring drought where it hurts most: anticipating impacts on agriculture with the FAO D-IAP Platform
As droughts intensify across regions, their effects on agriculture and water systems are no longer abstract risks but concrete constraints on production, livelihoods, and food security. Early-warning systems have significantly improved our ability to detect drought conditions, yet a critical question often remains unanswered: what will drought actually mean on the ground—for crops, water use, and incomes?
To close this gap, FAO, together with the University of Cordoba (Spain), has developed the Drought Impact Assessment Platform (d-iap), an innovative web-based tool designed to translate complex climate and agronomic data into decision-relevant information. By integrating advanced crop modeling with high-resolution global datasets, d-iap assesses drought impacts across major agricultural regions worldwide, covering both rainfed and irrigated systems under present and future climate scenarios. For rainfed agriculture, the platform estimates the likelihood of yield losses, income reductions, and additional irrigation needs. For irrigated systems, it provides crop-specific irrigation requirements, water productivity indicators, and the probability of meeting crop water demands under different water allocation scenarios.
Following the initial launch of the tool for the Near East and North Africa region in March 2025, the global platform's enhanced functionalities were presented during an online seminar organized by the Land and Water Division (NSL) of FAO on 21 January 2026. The event convened researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to explore how impact-oriented drought assessment can strengthen agricultural resilience. Opening remarks by Mr Lifeng Li, Director of FAO’s Land and Water Division, were followed by a keynote address from Prof. Elias Fereres (University of Córdoba), who underscored the shift from monitoring drought conditions to assessing their impacts as a critical step in resilience-building. Mr Maher Salman (FAO) then outlined the rationale for d-iap, highlighting persistent gaps in existing approaches to drought impact assessment. A live demonstration by Ms Margarita García-Vila (Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, Spain) illustrated how the platform can be used to rapidly retrieve, for any location, crop- and scenario-specific information on water requirements and drought impacts. An interactive discussion concluded the session.
Designed to support policymakers, water authorities, advisory services, and practitioners, d-iap helps translate risk into action. Farmers and technicians can use its outputs to adapt practices, rethink cropping patterns, and optimize water use, while decision-makers gain a stronger evidence base for investment planning, targeted support measures, and the design of more effective drought insurance schemes. By revealing where and when water demands are likely to exceed supply, d-iap also equips water planners with critical insights for strategic planning, infrastructure development, and sustainable resource management.
To support uptake and effective use of the platform, step-by-step tutorials and guidance materials are available through the d-iap page of the FAO Drought Portal, enabling users to explore scenarios, interpret results, and apply the tool across different agricultural and climatic contexts.
By lowering the barrier between data and decision-making, d-iap helps ensure that drought preparedness translates into timely, informed action. In an increasingly water-scarce world, d-iap represents a practical step forward in anticipating drought impacts and strengthening the resilience of agricultural systems before losses materialize.