The Green Climate Fund has approved a $50 million project, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization, to strengthen climate resilience among smallholder farmers in Jamaica.
The initiative, titled ADAPT Jamaica, focuses on helping vulnerable farming communities cope with increasing climate risks such as stronger hurricanes, prolonged droughts, and erratic rainfall. These challenges have already begun to reduce crop yields, increase food losses, and threaten rural livelihoods across the country. The project marks Jamaica’s first single-country climate investment from the Green Climate Fund, with over $40 million provided as a grant.
Co-financed by national institutions including the Jamaica Social Investment Fund and the Development Bank of Jamaica, the project will benefit more than 700,000 people across six central parishes responsible for around 70% of the country’s domestic food production. It builds on earlier preparatory work supported by FAO to assess feasibility and identify priority interventions.
Qu Dongyu described the approval as a strong vote of confidence in FAO’s ability to deliver solutions that address climate and food security challenges simultaneously. He emphasized that investing in resilient agrifood systems supports sustainable production, better nutrition, environmental protection, and improved livelihoods.
Floyd Green highlighted the urgency of the project, noting that farmers are increasingly exposed to extreme weather events. He stressed that the initiative will help shift the country’s approach from crisis response to long-term resilience by improving infrastructure, expanding access to climate-smart technologies, and strengthening agricultural value chains.
Jamaica’s agricultural sector, which contributes about 7% of GDP and supports nearly 18% of the population, has been heavily impacted by recent disasters. Hurricane Beryl caused over $30 million in agricultural losses and affected tens of thousands of farmers, while Hurricane Melissa inflicted widespread destruction, damaging infrastructure and farmland across key agricultural areas.
The ADAPT Jamaica project aims to tackle these challenges through a combination of climate-resilient farming practices, improved water management, and better post-harvest systems. Farmer Field Schools will train producers in techniques such as solar-powered irrigation, cold storage, and sustainable soil and water management. Demonstration sites will showcase hurricane-resistant infrastructure, including reinforced greenhouses designed to withstand severe storms.
The initiative will also promote agroforestry, soil conservation practices, and improved market and financial access, helping farmers reduce losses, stabilize incomes, and scale up production sustainably. By addressing both environmental and economic vulnerabilities, the project seeks to secure Jamaica’s food systems against the growing impacts of climate change.
Overall, ADAPT Jamaica represents a major step toward building resilient agricultural systems, reducing food insecurity, and ensuring long-term sustainability in the face of intensifying climate threats.
