The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has allocated $250 million for the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Glaciers to Farms program.
According to Trend AZ, the primary objective of the flagship adaptation program is to establish sustainable water and agricultural systems for vulnerable communities residing in glacier-dependent regions of Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Pakistan.
Funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) will be provided predominantly in the form of grants and allocated to a series of projects identified by the participating countries, complemented by the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) $3.25 billion in funding over the next decade.
These investments will target efficient irrigation systems, reservoir construction, and watershed management, thereby enhancing agricultural productivity in the context of increasing droughts and floods resulting from accelerated glacier melting.
“The rapid decline of glaciers represents one of the most complex development challenges confronting our region,” stated Yasmin Siddiqi, ADB Director for Agriculture, Food, Nature, and Rural Development.
“We need practical, scalable, and science-based solutions to help communities adapt. With the catalytic support of the GCF, the Glaciers to Farms initiative will help the region move away from piecemeal projects and toward systemic, long-term sustainability that protects people and livelihoods now and for generations to come,” he added.
The Glaciers to Farms initiative covers nine of ADB’s developing member countries - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
All of these countries rely on glaciers and snowmelt-fed rivers for agriculture, drinking water, and electricity generation.
