Côte d'Ivoire wins $50 million climate fund for smallholder farmers

The Green Climate Fund has approved a $50 million project to help farmers in Côte d'Ivoire's central regions adapt to climate change and raise yields on rice, cassava and yam. The five-year program targets 147,000 smallholders and is designed to cut emissions, improve soil health and expand climate-smart farming practices.

Why it matters: - Côte d'Ivoire's rice, cassava and yam farmers are facing hotter temperatures, erratic rainfall, floods and climate-driven pests that threaten food security and rural incomes. - The new funding is designed to move climate finance from planning to field-level support for smallholders in the country's central belt. - The project aims to protect yields while lowering emissions and improving resilience across staple crops that anchor diets and livelihoods.

What happened: - The Green Climate Fund approved a $50 million investment for the Enhancing Sustainable Land Management and Climate-Resilient Agri-food Systems in Côte d'Ivoire project, known as LARACI (FP304). - The Government of Côte d'Ivoire, CGIAR and FIRCA will implement the five-year project across the N'Zi, Moronou, Iffou, La Mé and Gbêkê regions. - The financing package includes a $40 million GCF grant and $10 million in co-financing from the Government of Côte d'Ivoire and CGIAR partners. - The project was developed with close collaboration from the Ministry of the Environment and Ecological Transition.

The details: - LARACI will bring 110,600 hectares under improved low-emission and climate-resilient management. - The project targets more than 600,000 tons of CO2 equivalent emissions reductions over five years. - The program will directly support 147,000 smallholders with tools to manage climate risk, stabilize yields, raise production and boost incomes. - Climate information, extension services and agroforestry are core delivery channels. - Cassava-legume intercropping is part of the package and is intended to raise productivity, maintain soil fertility and reduce erosion. - Expanded System of Rice Intensification practices are meant to improve water-use efficiency and cut methane emissions. - Climate-smart staking for yam is intended to improve crop performance and increase above- and below-ground carbon capture. - The project supports Côte d'Ivoire's Climate-Smart Agriculture Investment Plan and Nationally Determined Contributions. - The project also aligns with national priorities on food security, ecological transition and climate change adaptation.

Between the lines: - The project is structured to address a common barrier in climate finance: getting money and technology to farmers at scale, rather than only to institutions. - The partnership model combines research, national delivery networks and public finance, which could help turn proven practices into broader adoption. - CGIAR's role as a project implementer signals a larger shift toward agricultural research groups helping deliver climate finance, not just generate evidence. - The project is being framed as a country-led model, which may make it easier to align donor funding with national agricultural and climate plans.

What's next: - LARACI will roll out over five years in the central regions, with results expected in land management, emissions cuts, yields and farmer incomes. - FIRCA will lead fiduciary management, coordination of large-scale projects and climate finance mobilization for implementation. - AfricaRice and CGIAR partners will translate research into field practices for rice, cassava and yam farmers. - The project is intended to serve as a scalable blueprint for broader climate-resilient agriculture efforts in Africa.

The bottom line: - Côte d'Ivoire has secured major climate finance to help smallholder farmers adapt to worsening weather while strengthening national food security and lowering agricultural emissions.