Green Climate Fund Approves $250 Million for Asian Development Bank's Glaciers to Farms Program

Strategic Insights -

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved $250 million to support the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Glaciers to Farms program, a flagship adaptation program aimed at building resilient water and agriculture systems in glacier-dependent regions of Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Pakistan. The program, which will be implemented over the next decade, will invest in efficient irrigation, water storage, and watershed management to improve agricultural productivity and enhance the livelihoods of vulnerable communities. The GCF funding will be provided mostly as grants and will be invested alongside $3.25 billion from ADB.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Glaciers to Farms program will cover nine ADB developing member countries, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
  • The program will focus on four glacier-fed river basins, covering roughly 27 million hectares, and will benefit about 13 million people, including farmers and vulnerable populations in fragile mountain regions.
  • The program will support climate and glacier assessments, monitoring and early warning systems, and adaptive social protection schemes and health services for vulnerable communities.
  • ADB will invest $3.25 billion in the program, alongside the $250 million grant from the GCF.
  • The program aims to improve agricultural productivity, enhance the livelihoods of vulnerable communities, and promote long-term resilience in the region's water and food systems.

Statistics:

  • The GCF has approved $250 million for the Glaciers to Farms program.
  • The program will be implemented over the next decade.
  • The program will invest in efficient irrigation, water storage, and watershed management to improve agricultural productivity.
  • The program will benefit about 13 million people, including farmers and vulnerable populations in fragile mountain regions.
  • The area covered by the program will be roughly 27 million hectares.
  • About one in four jobs in the region are in agriculture.
  • The GCF is the world's largest climate fund.

Sources:

  • Azeri-Press news agency (Azeri-Press news agency, 29 Oct 2025)
  • Asian Development Bank (ADB)
  • Green Climate Fund (GCF)