The Philippines has received a $26.3-million grant from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to implement climate change adaptation projects in the agriculture sector.

GCF will cover nearly 70 percent of the $39.3 million project, “Adapting Philippine Agriculture to Climate Change (APA),” in the Philippines.

The Philippine government will shoulder $12.98 million to co-finance the project.

The project was proposed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, with the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) as implementing partners.

The APA project will be implemented this year until 2030 and is expected to reduce 1.86 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) over 20 years.

On GCF’s website, the APA project aims to shift Philippines towards a climate-resilient agricultural system and increase climate resilience in rural areas.

“The project will improve institutional capacities by provision of localized climate information services and through the adoption of climate-resilient agriculture practices, particularly enterprises led by women and indigenous peoples,” it said.

The APA project will also enable farmers to respond to the impacts of the climate crisis while enhancing their income-generation capabilities.

“Furthermore, the project seeks to mainstream and scale up climate-resilient agriculture enterprise development into the rural development programs of the country,” it said.

Currently, the Philippines ranks fourth on the Long-term Climate Risk Index (2000-2019) due to its exposure to increasingly frequent extreme weather events such as tropical cyclones, droughts, floods, and irregular precipitation.

Estimates show 70 percent of the population are at risk and vulnerable to climate disasters, while rural and agricultural systems are affected by these climate hazards and their resulting impacts.

The Philippine grant was part of the seven approved projects of the GCF worth $587 million on March.

The other projects are in Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Bolivia, Colombia as well as renewable energy and climate resilient infrastructure programs spanning multiple countries.

“The projects approved at this meeting send a strong message that despite multiple global challenges, GCF’s board is committed to maintaining strong momentum on climate action for developing nations, by providing critical financial resources, while ensuring predictability, speed, and scale,” GCF co-chair Nauman Bashir Bhatti said.

With these new project approvals, GCF’s portfolio now stands at 216 projects worth $12 billion in investment of GCF resources and $45 billion total assets under management when including co-financing.