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COP28 leaders are urged to create a fund for smallholder farmers to adapt to climate change, emphasized by the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD). Donal Brown, IFAD’s Associate Vice-President, stresses the importance of financing for small-scale farmers and calls for streamlined access to funds.

Leaders participating in COP28 in Dubai have been urged to establish a dedicated fund for smallholder farmers to adapt to climate change. The International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) emphasizes that with this fund, farmers will need to adopt processes and practices that can mitigate potential damages associated with climate change.

In an interview on Thursday, Donal Brown, the Associate Vice-President of the Programme Management Department, underscored that the absence of adaptation funds for smallholder farmers could lead to limited food production. Drawing parallels with the disruptions caused by COVID-19 and conflicts such as the war in Ukraine and Russia, Brown highlighted the need for increased production awareness globally.

He stressed the importance of COP28 advocating for sustainable food systems transformation, stating, “To feed the world, we must adapt to climate change, ensuring continuous food production. It is crucial to consider financing for small-scale farmers.”

Brown identified the Green Climate Fund, supervised by IFAD, as an avenue for adaptation funding. He urged countries like Uganda to propose projects for the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility Adaptation Fund to transform agriculture.

However, Brown acknowledged that bureaucratic hurdles must be streamlined to facilitate farmers’ access to these funds. At COP28, he mentioned the launch of the fund for loss and damage, with pledges from host countries and development partners. Notably, he expressed concern that a significant portion of climate finance is allocated to mitigation, while only a small percentage, around 1.5%, is directed towards agricultural adaptation.

The focus at COP28, according to Brown, is to signal the need for investment in adaptation, particularly for sustainable food systems. With a majority of countries relying on smallholder farmers for food production, he called for increased funding to ensure food security through effective adaptation measures.

Estimates suggest that delegates from over 200 countries have gathered in Dubai for the COP28 climate conference, aimed at accelerating the transition to clean energy and shaping the future.