IVORY COAST: Ivory Coast takes a historic step in agricultural climate finance

The country-led model we are implementing in Côte d'Ivoire offers a replicable model for accelerating climate resilience across Africa.”

— Simeon Ehui, CGIAR Regional Director for Africa

ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST, July 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Côte d'Ivoire has secured major climate finance to strengthen the resilience of rice, cassava, and yam farmers to the effects of climate change in the central part of the country, particularly in the N'Zi, Moronou, Iffou, La Mé, and Gbêkê regions.

The project, "Strengthening Sustainable Land Management and Climate-Resilient Agri-Food Systems in Côte d'Ivoire," known as LARACI (FP304), has received approval from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Executive Board. This project brings together the Government of Côte d'Ivoire, CGIAR, and FIRCA to implement proven climate solutions on a large scale in the N'Zi, Moronou, Iffou, La Mé, and Gbêkê regions.

Over five years, the LARACI project will bring 110,600 hectares of land under improved, low-emission, and climate-resilient management. Focused on climate information, extension services, and agroforestry, the project aims to reduce CO₂ equivalent emissions by more than 600,000 tonnes, while providing direct support to 147,000 smallholder farmers through tools that enable them to manage climate risks, stabilize and increase their yields, and boost their incomes.

Among the proposed climate solutions is the optimization of intercropping with cassava and legumes, which increases productivity, helps maintain soil fertility, and reduces erosion. The widespread adoption of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) practices will improve water use efficiency and reduce methane emissions. Climate-adapted staking will improve yam crop yields and increase carbon sequestration in the surface and subsoil.

The project directly supports Côte d'Ivoire's Climate-Smart Agriculture Investment Plan and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), thereby strengthening national ownership from design to implementation and impact assessment. It contributes to national priorities in food security, ecological transition, and climate change adaptation.

Developed in close collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment and Ecological Transition, this project demonstrates Côte d'Ivoire's commitment to mobilizing international climate finance to support agricultural producers.

The funding comes from a US$40 million grant from the Green Climate Fund and US$10 million in co-financing from the Government of Côte d'Ivoire and CGIAR partners. The project is designed to ensure that climate finance reaches the farmers who need it most.

Oumar N'Diaye, Executive Director of FIRCA, said:
“Ivorian farmers are on the front lines of the effects of climate change. The LARACI project empowers us to act at the necessary scale by offering concrete, scientifically proven solutions tailored to the realities on the ground. FIRCA will leverage its recognized expertise in fiduciary management, large-scale project coordination, and climate finance mobilization to ensure effective, transparent, and results-oriented implementation.”

Catherine Koffman, Regional Director for Africa at the Green Climate Fund, stated: “
By addressing the structural barriers that prevent finance from reaching Ivorian farmers, this investment can pave the way for a more resilient, productive, and inclusive agri-food economy. It supports climate-smart agriculture, through the direct implementation of the National Climate-Smart Agriculture Investment Plan (CSAIP), for rice, cassava, and yam—staple crops essential for livelihoods and national food security—while strengthening the financial, institutional, and value chain systems needed to scale up climate-smart agriculture nationwide. This project reflects the Green Climate Fund’s commitment to fostering national ownership and being Côte d’Ivoire’s climate partner of choice.”

Baboucarr Manneh, CEO of AfricaRice, said: “
This project is based on a partnership model that links research and implementation from the outset, enabling large-scale impact. AfricaRice brings decades of research on rice systems in Africa. FIRCA provides the national networks to put this research into practice. Together, and with the support of the Green Climate Fund and the Government of Côte d'Ivoire, we can reach farmers on a scale that would be impossible to achieve by working in isolation.”

Simeon Ehui, CGIAR Regional Director for Africa and Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), said:
“This project marks a decisive step for CGIAR and for climate finance in Africa. As the first CGIAR project funded by the Green Climate Fund, it demonstrates that agricultural research organizations can do more than simply generate knowledge; they can directly mobilize and channel financing to the farmers who need it most. The country-led model we are implementing in Côte d'Ivoire offers a replicable model for accelerating climate resilience across Africa.”