Green Climate Fund Approves $250 Million for "Glaciers to Farms" Programme

Strategic Insights -

The Green Climate Fund has approved $250 million for a flagship adaptation programme aimed at building resilient water and agriculture systems for vulnerable communities in glacier-dependent regions of Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Pakistan. Led by the Asian Development Bank, the "Glaciers to Farms" programme will cover nine developing member countries, focusing on four glacier-fed river basins and benefiting approximately 13 million people, including farmers and vulnerable populations.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Green Climate Fund has approved $250 million for the "Glaciers to Farms" programme, a flagship adaptation programme focused on building resilient water and agriculture systems in Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Pakistan.
  • The programme, led by the Asian Development Bank, will cover nine developing member countries, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
  • The programme will focus on four glacier-fed river basins, covering approximately 27 million hectares of land, and will benefit around 13 million people, including farmers and vulnerable populations in fragile mountain regions.
  • The programme aims to strengthen monitoring and early warning systems to help communities manage impacts of hazards such as glacial lake outburst floods and prolonged droughts.
  • Accelerated glacial melt threatens ecosystem services and livelihoods in the region, with about one in four jobs in agriculture.
  • GCF's funding will be provided mostly as grants, alongside $3.25 billion from ADB over the next decade, invested in a series of projects identified by the countries covered by the programme.
  • The projects will help improve agricultural productivity by investing in efficient irrigation, water storage, and watershed management, even as accelerated glacial melt increases the frequency of droughts or floods.
  • ADB Director Yasmin Siddiqi and GCF Director Thomas Eriksson emphasized the importance of practical, scalable, and science-based solutions to help communities adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Statistics:

  • $250 million approved by the Green Climate Fund for the "Glaciers to Farms" programme
  • $3.25 billion in funding from the Asian Development Bank over the next decade
  • 13 million people to benefit directly from the programme, including farmers and vulnerable populations
  • 27 million hectares of land to be covered by the programme, focusing on four glacier-fed river basins
  • 10,000 jobs in agriculture in the region

Sources:

  • A press release issued by the Asian Development Bank on its website, citing the Green Climate Fund's approval of funding for the "Glaciers to Farms" programme
  • An article by a news outlet, citing the press release and providing additional context and information.