The Green Climate Fund is positioned to achieve sustainable transformation through resilience building across the agricultural and environmental management value chain.
The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, and Rural Resettlement, Climate Change Department, and UNDP Zimbabwe yesterday launched the Green Climate Fund (GCF) ‘Building Climate Resilience of Vulnerable Agricultural Livelihoods in Southern Zimbabwe project.
The USD26.6 million initiative is focused on strengthening resilience of smallholder farmers in Manicaland, Masvingo and Matabeleland South, in the face of increased climate risks and impacts. This will be achieved through the:
- Revitalization and climate-proofing of existing irrigation schemes, improving water use efficiency and enhancing soil moisture management on rain-fed lands.
- Adoption and application of climate-resilient agronomic practices and cropping systems through training of smallholder farmers and designing of climate-resilient innovations.
- Development of localized innovation platforms which will improve access to markets.
- Production and dissemination of climate, agricultural and market information by improving the network of hydro-meteorological stations in the project areas and by enhancing the capacities of institutional personnel to compile, interpret and produce actionable information for smallholders.
During the event launch, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement, Dr John Basera, in a speech read on his behalf stated, “This project has come at an opportune time where addressing climate change impacts requires significant financial and technical support. Most vulnerable and poor communities have limited capacity to adapt to the impacts of climate change with 80% of Zimbabweans being dependent on affected natural resources such as rainfed agriculture”
UNDP Zimbabwe Deputy Resident Representative Ms. Madelena Monoja further stated ‘The project is contributing immensely towards the Government of Zimbabwe`s climate change priorities outlined in its National Development Strategy , Nationally Determined Contributions, National Climate Change Policy and strategies including strengthening the management of water resources and irrigation in the face of climate change, strengthening capacities to generate new forms of empirical knowledge, provision of technologies and agricultural support systems that are climate smart.’’
UNDP Zimbabwe said it remains committed to supporting work focused on climate change initiatives in Zimbabwe through its climate promise and ongoing work over the years in related projects including the development of a costed action plan on mitigation and adaptation through the National Climate Change Response Strategy, the Low Emission Development Strategy, the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund, the Oxfam scaling up adaptation projects and current work in developing a National Adaptation Plan with readiness funding from GCF.