Global Environment Facility approves $68 million for agrifood systems solutions
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has helped 22 countries raise $68 million in funding from the organization Global Environment Facility (GEF) Addressing biodiversity loss, groundwater management, climate change, land degradation and pollution.
These projects were approved by the GEF Secretariat and Council Global Environment Facility Trust Fund, this least developed countries fund (LDCF), and Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) Meeting this week in Washington, D.C., the projects are expected to leverage an additional $273 million in co-financing to advance global goals on biodiversity, social inclusion, land and water management, and reducing the use of hazardous chemicals.
“This batch of projects was approved at the end of annual environmental summits that highlighted the need for finance to drive the important agenda of transforming the global agri-food system,” said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu. “We look forward to meeting at the United Nations Under the overall guidance, support countries in achieving their biodiversity, climate, land, water and pollution targets through agri-food system solutions. Four is better“.
“These projects will help transform the way we produce food, fuel and fiber in response to the global environmental crisis. They will strengthen coherence between the agriculture and environment sectors and support countries and communities to address environmental challenges, food insecurity and Poverty. As this new financing becomes available, effectively communicating its goals and impact will be equally important to their success,” Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, CEO and Chairman of the Global Environment Facility. said.
small grants program
As part of the funding, the Council approved US$19 million for FAO’s first activities as a new implementing agency small grants program. The project builds on 30 years of impact, leveraging FAO’s expertise in working with smallholder producers to support civil society and community organizations to co-design and implement locally-led initiatives. The project will develop strategies, provide financial and technical assistance, and promote south-south cooperationwith a focus on innovation, scalability and social inclusion for women, Indigenous people and youth.
The project will work with local organizations in 14 countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Cook Islands, Cuba, Guyana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Marshall Islands, Nicaragua, South Sudan, Tajikistan, Uganda and Venezuela. The aim is to restore 20,000 hectares of land, improve practices on 350,000 hectares and benefit 45,000 people.
biodiversity
The five projects funded by GBFF will help mainstream biodiversity into the agri-food sector, promote sustainable livelihoods, and empower indigenous peoples. The projects aim to improve the management of 500,000 hectares of protected areas, restore 13,000 hectares of landscapes, improve practices on 2.4 million hectares of land and sea, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.2 million tonnes and benefit 100,000 people.
US$1.7 million project in Laos will enhance biodiversity through ecosystem restoration and biodiversity-friendly measures a healthy practice. A $6.4 million project in Papua New Guinea will improve ecosystem connectivity and climate resilience through integrated landscape management. In Solomon Islands, $2.4 million will support indigenous peoples’ community-led management of key biodiversity areas, including through spatial management and other effective area-based conservation mechanisms (OECMs). In Cuba, the $3 million project will address unsustainable fisheries and agriculture in northeastern Cuba; in Nepal, the $1.3 million project will help protect endangered freshwater fish through ecosystem-based fisheries management.
US$8 million project funded by GEF Trust Fund will enhance biodiversity, ecosystem services and carbon sequestration Areas important for biodiversity and ecosystem services (AIBDES), including areas within and outside protected areas in the Indonesian provinces of South Sumatra and Central Java. The project aims to protect and restore 91,000 hectares of natural ecosystems that are home to species such as Javan leopards and Sumatran elephants. The project will also improve practices on 565,000 hectares of land, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6.2 million tonnes and benefit 40,000 people.
land and water
A regional project in Kenya and Tanzania will enhance water security and increase climate resilience in the Kilimanjaro region by improving management of the shared Kilimanjaro transboundary aquifer system. The plan will receive US$7.8 million from the Global Environment Facility to protect 40,000 hectares of cloud forest, ensure sustainable use of groundwater, and benefit 100,000 people.
$5.1 million project will help Liberia achieve land degradation neutrality Deliver on land degradation neutrality (LDN) commitments by enhancing soil health and reducing land degradation through sustainable management practices in targeted rice landscapes. The project will restore 25,000 hectares of land, implement sustainable land management practices on 100,000 hectares, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 1 million tonnes and benefit more than 60,000 people.
chemicals
Integrated collaborative approach under sustainable tourism plan (love coast), FAO will support Vanuatu in promoting sustainable practices within tourism through bioeconomy and circular approaches. The project will allocate $4 million to update the National Tourism Strategy, restore more than 32,000 hectares of degraded ecosystems, improve practices on 62,000 hectares of land and sea, and benefit more than 246,000 people.
Under the Financing for Agrichemical Reduction and Management Enhancement (FARM+) programme, FAO will support The Gambia to reduce the use of harmful agrochemicals and shift to climate-resilient agroecological practices in rice, millet and maize production. Leveraging US$9.6 million from the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund and the Least Developed Countries Fund, the project aims to restore 10,000 hectares of land, improve practices on 120,000 hectares of land and sea, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 15,000 tonnes and benefit 240,000 people.
New heights in 2024
The program caps off a year of record growth for the FAO-GEF partnership. In addition to the $440 million approved February, June and 13 FAO projects worth US$14 million in GEF resources and US$24 million in co-financing in the December 2024 work program are providing global and country support to meet reported commitments on climate change and land degradation neutrality.
FAO-GEF Partnership
As a partner agency of the Global Environment Facility, FAO supports countries around the world in addressing the complex challenges of the relationship between agri-food systems and the environment. Since 2006, FAO has provided $1.9 billion in support to 141 countries on projects that respond to local priorities, achieve global environmental benefits and advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
