The Global Environment Facility (GEF), under the leadership of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), has approved eight projects totaling nearly $60 million aimed at improving agri-landscape management, developing climate-oriented and biodiversity-friendly livestock farming, and restoring forest, coastal and marine ecosystems.
According to a press release from the FAO, Ukraine will receive $5.4 million in funding to restore and maintain accessible forests and agroforestry systems to ensure climate resilience, enhance ecosystem services, and promote green recovery from the effects of war.
In addition, Tanzania will receive $2.4 million, Congo – $6 million, Bangladesh – $9.2 million, India – $9.9 and $8.8 million, Mexico – $8 million, and Senegal – $8.9 million.
The approved projects will attract about $429 million in co-financing and improve the management of 305,000 hectares of protected areas on land and at sea. They also provide for the restoration of 314,000 hectares of landscapes, improved management of 1.2 million hectares of productive land, and a reduction of 84.5 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions, benefiting more than 1 million people on four continents, the FAO said.
“Our portfolio and partnership with the GEF have become more integrated and effective over the years, allowing us to more effectively implement four areas of improvement, leaving no one behind: improving production, improving nutrition, improving the environment, and improving lives,” said FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu, whose words are quoted in the statement.
The FAO-GEF partnership currently provides 142 countries with funding for agrifood system solutions. The FAO-GEF portfolio for supporting environmental, climate, and biodiversity conservation measures in agriculture and food systems exceeds $2 billion in grant funding and has already attracted more than $14 billion in co-financing.
