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Zambia has secured more than US$30 million in climate finance to help protect smallholder farmers from the worsening impacts of climate change.
The funding is for a new project titled “Catalyzing a Climate Risk Protection Shield for Zambian Smallholder Farmers.” It includes US$25 million in grant financing from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and an additional US$5.26 million in co-financing from One Acre Fund Limited.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Ministry of Finance and National Planning Permanent Secretary, Prudence Kaoma, said the initiative marked a decisive step in embedding climate resilience into Zambia’s development agenda.
Kaoma explained that the project will provide climate risk protection, climate-smart agricultural inputs, and land restoration support to vulnerable farming communities across the country.
“Zambia is placing climate risk management at the core of its development. Our accreditation to the Green Climate Fund is not just a technical milestone; it is a mandate to turn climate finance into concrete, measurable results for our people,” she said.
She added that the project will offer predictable support to farmers during climate-related shocks.
“When the rains come late or end too early, it is not a graph that feels the shock; it is a family deciding whether they can keep children in school or sell livestock to survive. This initiative will ensure timely support, restore degraded land, and sustain agricultural productivity through climate-smart solutions.”
Kaoma further noted that the project aligned directly with Zambia’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and demonstrates government’s commitment to integrating climate resilience into national planning and budgeting processes.
Meanwhile, Zambia’s Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Andrew Banda, said the initiative represented a major milestone under the environmental sustainability pillar of the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP).
“This is a critical step in safeguarding livelihoods, strengthening food security, and building resilience among our rural communities,” he said.
Banda highlighted the growing threat of climate change to Zambia’s agriculture sector, pointing to recurrent droughts and increasingly erratic rainfall patterns. He emphasized the importance of strong partnerships in addressing these challenges.
“Through collaboration with partners such as the Green Climate Fund, we are turning climate ambition into tangible and impactful results,” he said. “By enhancing access to climate finance and advancing innovative risk protection mechanisms, we are safeguarding livelihoods, strengthening food security, and building resilience across our rural communities.”
He also thanked the Zambian government—through the Ministries of Finance and National Planning and Green Economy and Environment—alongside the GCF and other cooperating partners for their continued support.
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