Locations
Enhancing Resilience of Agriculture and Food Security in Yemen
Project summary
The project is part of the UNDP’s "Climate Promise Initiative", and is implemented under a global project funded through the Japan Supplementary Budget 2024. This Climate Promise global project aims to support countries in addressing the climate crisis while enhancing human security and resilience. This enables these countries to strengthen their engagement with the Paris Agreement's ratchet mechanism by formulating and implementing increasingly ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). In Yemen, the project addresses the urgent need for improved water efficiency and enhanced food security for vulnerable communities, especially in light of climate change. Yemen is experiencing the world's worst food crisis, with 18.6 million people requiring food assistance. The country's food systems are under additional strain due to climate change, which threatens human security and increases the potential for conflict. The country has faced long-standing food insecurity, with the conflict exacerbating existing vulnerabilities and issues.
This initiative, generously funded by the Government of Japan, aims to improve water usage efficiency by adopting modern irrigation technologies and innovative crop management strategies in Taiz and Lahj Governorates. It also seeks to enhance awareness of climate adaptation measures among smallholder farmers, fostering a culture of resilience and preparedness. The project directly targets 500 smallholder farmers and indirectly targets 2,000 residents and farmers by building broader community resilience to climate change.
Objectives
- Improve water usage efficiency through the adoption of modern irrigation technologies and innovative crop management strategies.
- Enhance food security for vulnerable communities by ensuring a more reliable and sustainable agricultural output.
- Enhance awareness of climate adaptation measures among smallholder farmers and local communities to foster preparedness and resilience.
Gender empowerment
The project includes an emphasis on inclusion by improving awareness of climate adaptation measures among all community members. Both men and women farmers will receive training on climate adaptation, as well as seasonal bulletins that will help them adjust their crop patterns to seasonal climate variations based on professional knowledge and evidence-based scientific analysis. This inclusive approach ensures that all segments of the population have the knowledge and skills needed to adapt to climate change, which helps to foster a more equitable and resilient society.
Expected Impacts:
- Enhanced climate change resilience for livelihoods and food security: This is achieved by equipping smallholder farmers with climate-smart modern agriculture and irrigation technologies to improve farm productivity and reduce water use. The project will also provide training on climate-resilient production practices to help farmers adjust their crop calendars and planting/harvesting dates in response to climate change.
- Transformed Climate Adaptation Through Accessible Information: The project focuses on using different and accessible platforms to share information necessary for climate change adaptation including agrometeorological and climate information. Communication products, including messages, extension materials, video and audio content, and weather forecasts, are developed and disseminated to help smallholder farmers adapt through technology transfer and weather information.
- Enhanced Knowledge Exchange: The global project aims to facilitate the exchange of best practices, innovative approaches, and lessons learned in integrating climate action into national development strategies. This global initiative will strengthen global cooperation and collective efforts to address climate challenges across the project's cohort countries while also enhancing South-South learning and knowledge production. Yemen participated in the Global Workshop on Climate Change in May 2025, hosted by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Armenia. The workshop brought together representatives from eight countries to share experiences, address operational challenges, refine strategies for effective project implementation, and explore the links between local climate action and national policy.
