The agricultural commodity supply chain is a complex network that connects the production system with the consumer through a series of operations: production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, retail and storage. At the same time, the supply chain connects companies that provide inputs, such as seeds and fertilizers, to producers.  

External shocks – such as natural disasters, conflicts and diseases – are a threat to the functioning of agricultural supply chains.  For example, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on food and agriculture disrupted agricultural supply chains and increased food insecurity by undermining the livelihoods and capacity to access food for millions of people. As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, considerable attention was paid to the resilience of agricultural supply chains in a time of crisis.  

In an effort to provide evidence-based advice, and with support from the Japanese Government, FAO researched the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis and natural disasters on agricultural supply chains and markets, and prepared  guidelines for increasing the resilience of agricultural supply chains. The guidelines build on and complement  The State of Food and Agriculture 2021 – Making agrifood systems more resilient to shocks and stresses, written within the context of the call for concrete actions made by the first  United Nations Food Systems Summit  in September 2021.