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Agriculture must be part of the climate solution.

Smallholder farmers are often hit the hardest by climate change, and yet they have the potential to transform food systems so they heal, not hurt, the planet.

How are Agriculture and Climate Change Linked? 

Nearly 80% of the world’s poor live in rural areas and rely on agriculture for their food and livelihoods. Climate change has disproportionate effects on small and family farmers, who produce a third of the world’s food. Many farmers see firsthand the impacts of extreme weather events, such as storms and heatwaves, as well as slow-moving events like soil erosion, rising temperatures, and changes in water supply – resulting in a decline in agricultural productivity, the nutritional value of crops, food security, and livelihoods. 

While agriculture is a significant contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, it is also highly susceptible to the effects of climate change. Investments in agriculture must go towards sustainable and climate-resilient practices that reduce the climate footprint, strengthen farmers’ resilience, and increase food production to meet current and future demand.

GAFSP Climate Brief

Raising the Ambition on Addressing Climate Change

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Scaling Up Climate Action

Almost half of GAFSP’s public sector financing, totaling US$563 million, support climate adaptation (48%) and mitigation (8%) efforts. Since 2017, all public sector projects have included climate co-benefits. 

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Expanding the Portfolio

GAFSP has a long history of funding climate-resilient interventions, with roughly two-thirds of public sector projects contributing to adaptation or mitigation co-benefits. We are committed to include an even broader range of climate approaches. 

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Accelerating Our Focus

GAFSP is accelerating its climate focus to build stronger, more sustainable agriculture and food systems – with future projects aligning with national climate plans and integrating wider climate principles, such as agroecology.  

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Mitigation

GAFSP projects are contributing to global efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. The Program’s portfolio is an overall net reducer of greenhouse gas emissions, removing 15.4 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e), which offsets the portfolio’s overall greenhouse gas emissions of 7.8 million tCO2e.

Explore the GHG Study