Africa-Press – Cape verde. The government approved an agreement with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for approximately €3.36 million in financing to strengthen the resilience of agricultural systems to climate change.
The financing will be applied within the scope of the project “Adaptation of Small Island Developing States in West and Central Africa – Strengthening the Resilience of Agricultural Systems to Climate Change in Cabo Verde,” according to the Official Gazette published on Monday.
The agreement, signed on April 8, aims to support smallholder farmers through innovative and climate-resilient practices, strengthening institutional and community capacities, and a tracking, evaluation, and knowledge management system.
According to the government decree, Cabo Verde, like Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe, “faces extreme weather events, exacerbated by climate change, which affect infrastructure, populations, and crops.”
The project will be coordinated from Cape Verde through the Rural Socioeconomic Opportunities Program Management Unit (POSER) and is expected to directly benefit more than 41,000 families living in poverty, with priority given to female heads of household and young people without training.
The planned actions include the introduction of more drought-resistant crops, improvements to irrigation systems, construction of water retention infrastructure, strengthening climate information, and technical training in risk management.
The funding, in the form of a grant, will cover interventions on the islands of Santo Antão, Santiago, and Boa Vista, the islands most affected by climate change.
According to the government, the country has adopted adaptation and mitigation measures—such as seawater desalination and wastewater reuse—but the structural challenges of the agricultural sector continue to require external support.
The project is expected to last five years and has technical and financial support from IFAD and the Adaptation Fund.
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