GCF Approves $80 Million to Boost Food Security and Address Climate Change Effects in Somalia

GOOBJOOG NEWS|ROME: The Global Climate Fund (GCF) has approved close to $80 million to  support adaptation and enhance the climate resilience of vulnerable agricultural communities in Somalia.

The fund which was established within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change approved $79.7 million funding Wednesday.

According to a statement from the Fund headquartered in Songdo, South Korea, the funds will support in restoring productive landscapes to sustain resilient livelihoods in Somalia. It will promote sustainable agricultural practices and increased access to water; enhance access to climate-resilient inputs (seeds, feed, fodder); improve market access for smallholders; and strengthen institutional frameworks and coordination for sustainable landscape management and climate-resilient agriculture.

Somalia’s Environment and Climate Change Minister Mohamed Khadija welcomed the approval terming it ‘historic’.

““History was made today with the approval of our first single country project—one of the fastest ever approved by the GCF Board,” the minister said.

The funds will support a project spearheaded by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), will empower millions of farmers and pastoralists to adapt to the escalating impacts of climate change, including droughts, floods, and water scarcity.

According to FAO, the project dubbed Ugbaad, meaning hope in Somalia will restore over 50,000 hectares of degraded land, train 86,000 farmers and pastoralists in climate-smart agriculture, and rehabilitate vital infrastructure like irrigation canals and rural roads.