Worsening Disasters Cause Trillions of Dollars of Crop Losses

The increasing severity and frequency of disasters is taking a heavier toll on global crops and livestock, with losses exceeding $200 billion last year.

The number of such events — ranging from floods and droughts to insect infestations and wars — has quadrupled to about 400 a year since the 1970s, according to new report released Friday by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. Annual economic losses averaged $123 billion over the past three decades, with a total loss of $3.8 trillion. And the trend is worsening.

“It’s not just the number of events are increasing, it’s also that ...