Workers remove weeds from a maize plantation outside Kano, Nigeria. (PHOTO: VCG)

By Staff Reporters

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation joined the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to accelerate the development of innovations that will help smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia build resilience and adapt to climate change. Together, they made new commitments totaling 200 million USD in response to immediate and long-term threats to food security and nutrition caused by climate change. That's according to the foundation Co-Chair Bill Gates at the World Climate Action Summit in Dubai on December 1, 2023.

Sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 60 percent of the population depends on agriculture for food and income, accounts for only 4 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. In recent years, a surge of extreme climate events, such as devastating droughts in East Africa and catastrophic flooding in West Africa, has led to reduced economic growth and increased income inequality with wealthy countries—primarily by eroding crop and livestock production. While numerous innovations exist to help smallholder farmers in the region, less than 2 percent of global climate finance is devoted to meeting their needs. 

"We need to make big bets on innovation to ensure smallholder farmers across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have the tools they need to adapt their practices, feed their people, and build resilience in the face of climate change," said Gates. "The needs of farmers are an integral part of the global climate agenda.” 

CGIAR, a publicly funded agriculture research network, plays a critical role in supporting resilient, sustainable food production in a climate-stressed world. Earlier this week, it launched a three-year investment case to secure 4 billion USD by 2027, helping CGIAR to reach 500 million farmers by 2030 with climate adaptation innovations, and to reduce emissions from the agriculture sector by 1 gigaton per year—the equivalent of eliminating emissions from more than 200 million cars. 

"We are ready to quickly scale up proven innovations that already are helping farmers in vulnerable regions like Africa and South Asia adapt to more challenging climate conditions," said Professor Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, chair of the CGIAR System Board. "That includes increasing access to improved varieties of naturally stress-tolerant crops like cassava and millets, employing new tools and strategies farmers are using to support healthy ecosystems by reviving degraded lands, and providing long-range climate forecasts that help farmers anticipate and navigate weather extremes and shifting rainfall patterns."

The foundation's support for agriculture adaptation at COP28 builds on previous commitments dating back to 2017 to help smallholder farmers cope with climate change. This year's 100 million USD investment, which matches the UAE's commitment of 100 million USD, will support organizations, like the CGIAR, that are at the forefront of developing agricultural innovations.  

The foundation will also join partner countries, philanthropies, and financial institutions to help accelerate access to high-impact agricultural innovations for small-scale farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia by reducing policy and funding-related barriers.