India, Oct. 15 -- When extreme weather destroys crops, damages infrastructure and disrupts supply chains, the consequences travel far beyond the farm. They reach food prices, family nutrition, rural incomes and public finances. Cyclone Ditwah exposed this vulnerability with painful clarity. With El Nino expected to bring further climatic pressures, Sri Lanka faces a critical choice: continue paying heavily after disasters, or invest in protecting livelihoods and production before hazards become humanitarian crises.

The economic stakes are enormous. The World Bank estimates that Cyclone Ditwah caused US$4.1 billion in direct physical damage, equivalent to about 4 percent of Sri Lanka's GDP. Agriculture alone suffered an estimated US$814 ...