Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme
Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme
Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP)
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.
Spotlight
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Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP) brochure
The Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP) was launched by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in 2012 to make climate and environmental finance work for smallholder farmers. A multi-year and multi-donor financing window, ASAP provides a new source of cofinancing to scale up and integrate climate change adaptation across IFAD’s approximately US$1billion per year of new investments. The programme is joined up with IFAD’s regular investment processes and benefits from rigorous quality control and supervision systems.
ASAP is driving a major scaling up of successful ‘multiple-benefit’ approaches to smallholder agriculture, which improve production while reducing and diversifying climate-related risks. In doing so, ASAP is blending tried-and tested approaches to rural development with relevant adaptation know-how and technologies. This will increase the capacity of at least 8 million smallholder farmers to expand their livelihood options in an uncertain and rapidly changing environment.
ASAP Bangladesh factsheet
change. During the monsoon period, the Haor region of Bangladesh becomes
completely inundated with 4-8 metres of water for around 6-7 months of the year.
Flash fl oods are common, and in some years 80-90 per cent of crops are lost
because of extreme weather events. The situation is expected to worsen as a climate
change-related shift towards pre-monsoon rainfall is coinciding with the paddy rice
pre-harvest period. This severely affects food output in the Haor, which provides up
to 16 per cent of national rice production.
ASAP Bolivia factsheet
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