The government of Rwanda has secured $4.97 million from the Adaptation Fund to enhance climate resilience among smallholder farmers in three eastern districts: Kayonza, Gatsibo, and Nyagatare. This project aims to improve access to climate information and climate-smart farming technologies, benefiting at least 10,000 farmers. The initiative is a collaboration between the UNDP and the Ministry of Agriculture.
The project seeks to promote climate-smart agriculture, improve advisory services, and reduce losses from drought and erratic rainfall. Climate change is predicted to greatly affect the poorest people in the world, who are often hardest hit by weather catastrophes, desertification, and rising sea levels. The Adaptation Fund has approved nearly $35 million for climate resilience in Rwanda and the Horn of Africa.
The Adaptation Fund finances projects and programmes that help vulnerable communities in developing countries adapt to climate change. Initiatives are based on country needs, views, and priorities. Since 2010, the Adaptation Fund has committed about $1.6 billion for climate change adaptation and resilience projects and programmes.
The fund has supported 226 concrete, localized projects in the most vulnerable communities of developing countries around the world, with about 120 million total beneficiaries. The Adaptation Fund also pioneered Direct Access and Enhanced Direct Access, empowering countries to access funding and develop local projects directly through accredited national implementing entities.
In Rwanda, the project will be implemented in districts that are prone to climate-related disasters. The government has identified climate change as a major threat to the country's economic development and food security. The project will help farmers adopt climate-resilient practices and improve their livelihoods.
The Ministry of Agriculture and UNDP will work together to implement the project, which is expected to have a positive impact on the lives of smallholder farmers in the three districts. The project will also enhance the country's capacity to adapt to climate change and reduce the risks associated with climate-related disasters.
The $4.97 million funding is part of a larger effort to support climate resilience in Rwanda and the Horn of Africa. The Adaptation Fund's support for climate change adaptation and resilience projects has made a significant impact in vulnerable communities around the world.
Key points
- The project aims to benefit at least 10,000 smallholder farmers in Kayonza, Gatsibo, and Nyagatare districts.
- The Adaptation Fund has committed about $1.6 billion for climate change adaptation and resilience projects and programmes since 2010.
- The project will promote climate-smart agriculture, improve advisory services, and reduce losses from drought and erratic rainfall.
