Bhutan launches the implementation of the much-awaited Green Climate Fund financed climate resilient agriculture project. The USD 25.3 million project ‘Supporting Climate Resilience and Transformational Changes in the Agriculture Sector in Bhutan’ is one of the biggest climate adaptation projects in the country. The Royal Government will co-finance the project.

“This project is critical to address national adaptation priorities as per the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and support Bhutan’s effort to prepare and adapt to a wide range of climate barriers affecting agriculture and food security,” the Minister for Agriculture and Forests, Yeshey Penjor, said.

The project seeks to enhance the resilience of smallholder farms to climate change, especially variation in rainfall and frequent occurrence of extreme weather conditions. It will promote resilient agricultural practices, integrate climate change risks into water and land management practices that affect smallholders and reduce the risk and impacts of climate change induced landslides during extreme events that disrupt, market access.

The project will benefit more than 100,000 people in eight project districts of Dagana, Punakha, Trongsa, Tsirang, Sarpang, Samtse, Wangdue Phodrang and Zhemgang. The project sites were selected by the Royal Government given their vulnerability to climate change among other factors.

“In 2020, as we embark on this ambitious smart-agricultural project, we are marking the beginning of the last Decade of Action until the 2030 deadline of attaining the SDGs," UNDP Resident Representative Azusa Kubota said.

She assured UNDP's full support and commitment towards ensuring successful implementation of the project. "We also hope that through this project, new partnerships will be formed to scale up the results while leveraging the GCF funding."

Dzongdas from the eight project districts attended today’s workshop along with representatives from Gross National Happiness Commission, Department of Agriculture, MoAF, Department of Roads, MoWHS, National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology and district planning and engineers from the eight project districts.

The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Royal Government of Bhutan, Ministry of Works and Human Settlement, Royal Government of Bhutan in close partnership with various agencies, including Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and the private sector with technical support from UNDP

About GCF

The Green Climate Fund (GCF), the world’s largest fund dedicated to climate finance, supports developing countries to reduce their carbon emissions and strengthen their resilience to climate change. Set up by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2010, GCF is an operating entity of the UNFCCC’s Financial Mechanism that also serves the Paris Agreement. GCF drives climate finance to where it is needed most: in the Least Developed Countries, Small Island Developing States, and African States.

About UNDP

UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. UNDP Bhutan is part of the 170-country office UNDP network, and offers global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations. UNDP on Twitter | on Facebook | UNDP Bhutan Office