IFAD funds three African island countries with 12 million dollars to strengthen agricultural systems

Praia, Apr 15 (Inforpress) - The director of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Bernard Hien, announced on Monday in Praia that the ADAPT programme will provide Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe with 12 million dollars to strengthen the agricultural system.

Called ‘Adaptation of Small Island Developing States in West and Central Africa - Strengthening the Resilience of Agricultural Systems to Climate Change’ (ADAPT), worth 1.1 million Cape Verdean escudos, the programme aims to increase the capacity of small producers to respond to the effects of climate change through sustainable, technological and inclusive actions.

Speaking to the press just before the workshop to launch the project, Bernard Hien explained that the three countries involved share similar characteristics, namely climate and economic vulnerability, which justifies an articulated regional intervention.

"The aim is to strengthen the resilience of small producers and production systems. Through this funding, we will provide them with the technologies, knowledge and means to adapt to climate change, increase agricultural productivity and, consequently, improve their incomes," he explained.

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