The Green Climate Fund Allocates $134 Million to Enhance Climate Resilience for Farmers and Pastoralists in Somalia and Iraq

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has greenlit a whopping $134 million to kickstart two landmark initiatives aimed at helping vulnerable farming communities in Somalia and Iraq toughen up against climate change.

Steered by the good folks over at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, these game-changing projects will arm millions of farmers and herders with the skills to tackle climate chaos like droughts and floods head-on.

Kaveh Zahedi, chief honcho of FAO’s Climate Change, Biodiversity and Environment Office, was beaming when he said, “We’re thrilled to team up with Somalia and Iraq for their inaugural climate investments. These ventures truly mirror FAO’s pledge to revamp agriculture into a resilient powerhouse, especially in shaky, vulnerable parts of the world.”

“By equipping at-risk communities with the know-how, gear, and tech to adjust, we’re betting on agri-food solutions that ensure food security, support livelihoods, and aid countries in taking the climate bull by the horns,” he added.

The announcement hit the airwaves at the 40th GCF Board meeting in Songdo, Incheon, South Korea, from October 21-24.

Ugbaad: Building a climate-smart agricultural scene in Somalia

Somalia is in quite a pickle with poverty and unrest, further aggravated by climate change. Nasty weather like droughts and floods often mess up their already shaky food supply.

That’s where the “Ugbaad” project (meaning “hope” in Somali) comes in – a seven-year, $95 million initiative crafted by FAO and the Somali government to bolster climate resilience in farming. It’s FAO’s largest ever climate investment linked to GCF.

Khadija Mohamed Al-Makhzoumi, Somalia’s Environment Minister, highlighted the urgency: “For Somalia, climate change is literally do or die. This project, backed by GCF, is a lifeline for over two million people to rejuvenate our lands, secure food, and withstand the brutal climate hits.”

Ugbaad’s focal point is enhancing rural community resilience by pushing eco-friendly land management, better water access, and climate-smart farming techniques.

The initiative plans to breathe new life into over 50,000 hectares of worn-out land, train 86,000 farmers and pastoralists in savvy farming, and fix crucial infrastructure like irrigation and rural roads.

By boosting critical agricultural value chains and upgrading climate info services, Ugbaad aims to help communities weather climate storms and secure their livelihoods.

Focused on food security, it will touch 1.2 million lives directly and another 973,000 indirectly, by enhancing water access and fostering sustainable farming to ramp up food output and cut reliance on imports and foreign aid.

Significantly, the project champions gender equality, ensuring women make up half of the beneficiaries.

Beyond immediate climate-savvy agricultural shifts, Ugbaad is all about spurring long-term sustainability and peace in Somalia.

By fortifying governance, sharpening climate data systems, and fostering community involvement, it aims to sculpt a steadier, more resilient society.

The insights garnered through Ugbaad could be a compass for other similar climate-stressed regions.

Bringing water and life to Iraq’s dry lands

In Iraq, combatting soaring temperatures and water shortages is critical to stabilizing governance. The SRVALI project, championed by FAO, secured a $29.25 million GCF grant, bringing the total value to $38.95 million.

This six-year initiative spotlights efficient water use, climate-smart agriculture, and empowering women as key community agents of change.

Concentrating on Karbala, Muthanna, and Najaf, the project tackles water and food security in these dry regions reliant on agriculture. It will introduce climate-adaptive infrastructure, like optimized irrigation, solar panels, and training on hardy farming techniques.

With plans to manage over 121,000 hectares climate-resiliently, the project will benefit two million people, half of them women, and generate jobs for those displaced within the country.

Beyond the direct perks, the initiative seeks to bolster sustainable development by collaborating with Iraqi ministries and universities to weave climate-smart methods into farming policy, expanding adaptive efforts across Iraq and neighboring regions.

Edited by: Ali Musa

alimusa@axadletimes.com

Axadle international–Monitoring

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