Critical climate finance for small-scale farmers

Small-scale farmers are on the frontline of climate change. They live in some of the most vulnerable landscapes, such as hillsides and flood plains, and rely on fragile natural resources to make a living. As a result, rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, pest infestations, rising sea levels and extreme weather events threaten their lives and livelihoods.

Despite this, poor rural communities are often overlooked in policy debates on climate change—and how to address it.

The Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP) is IFAD’s flagship programme for channelling climate finance to small-scale farmers. It is being implemented in three phases:

• ASAP1 (2012-2025): addresses the challenges posed by climate change by providing climate-resilient agricultural practices, technologies and financing to small-scale farmers.
• ASAP2 (2017-2025): provides technical assistance on policy and operational issues.
• ASAP+ (from 2021): builds on the previous phases to address climate-driven food insecurity and empowers the most vulnerable small-scale producers and communities.

Through new financial and programming instruments that address this complex problem, IFAD helps small-scale farmers in developing countries adapt to climate change and build resilient livelihoods by providing them with knowledge, skills and technology. We promote practices that mitigate the emissions of greenhouse gases and support knowledge-sharing to foster the development of new approaches and technologies.