GCF approves $50m Jamaica climate resilience project targeting smallholder farmers

The Green Climate Fund has approved a $50 million project led by FAO to bolster climate resilience for smallholder farmers in central Jamaica. The initiative aims to address hurricane frequency, drought, and erratic rainfall affecting 70% of the country's domestic food production.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved a $50 million project, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), to strengthen climate resilience among vulnerable smallholders in Jamaica.

The initiative, titled ADAPT Jamaica, marks the first single-country climate investment the GCF has extended to the country, with a grant contribution exceeding $40 million. The project targets six central parishes responsible for approximately 70% of Jamaica’s domestic food output.

The program addresses intensifying climate hazards including more frequent hurricanes, prolonged droughts, and erratic rainfall, that are reducing agricultural yields and threatening rural livelihoods. Co-financing partners include the Jamaica Social Investment Fund, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, the Development Bank of Jamaica, and FAO.

The initiative is expected to reach over 700,000 beneficiaries, nearly half of whom are women.

For agricultural stakeholders and regional policymakers, the approval signals increased GCF engagement in Caribbean smallholder resilience. The project builds on earlier feasibility work conducted through a GCF Project Preparation Facility. By integrating climate adaptation into agrifood systems, the model may inform similar investments across climate-vulnerable small-island developing states.

The Green Climate Fund is a multilateral fund established under the UNFCCC to support climate mitigation and adaptation in developing countries.

FAO is a UN specialized agency that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve food security.