Financing smallholder productivity and resilience in the age of climate change
Reducing global poverty and improving food security is largely dependent on smallholder farmers becoming more productive. They must do so, however, in the face of new challenges caused by climate change, including devastating crop loss and increased droughts.
Of the $148 billion in public financing dedicated to combating climate change in 2014, only $6 billion went to the agricultural sector. Increased public funding is critical, but it must also leverage private capital more effectively or its impact on addressing climate change will fall far short of global goals. Unlocking this opportunity will require more activity in three key areas:
- Funders need to become more sophisticated across domains
- Adaptation needs to rise as a priority objective
- Funders and investors need to use innovative finance structures to catalyze markets