Gates Foundation Announces Partnership with United Arab Emirates to Accelerate Action on Climate and Strengthen Food Systems Through Investment in Agricultural Innovation

Gates Foundation Announces Partnership with United Arab Emirates to Accelerate Action on Climate and Strengthen Food Systems Through Investment in Agricultural Innovation. Gates Foundation Bahrain Iran Iraq Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Oman Palestine Qatar Saudi Arabia Syria United Arab Emirates Yemen Benin Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Chad Comoros Cote d'Ivoire Djibouti Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Equatorial Guinea Kenya Liberia Madagascar Mali Namibia Niger Nigeria Central African Republic Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, The Republic of the Senegal Sierra Leone South Africa Sudan Tanzania Tonga Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe Algeria Angola Botswana Cape Verde Egypt Eritrea Guinea-Bissau Lesotho Libya Malawi Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Rwanda Sao Tome and Principe Seychelles South Sudan Swaziland Togo Tunisia India Washington

to secure US $4 billion by 2027, helping CGIAR to reach 500 million farmers by 2030 with climate adaptation innovations, and to reduce emissions from the agriculture sector by 1 gigaton per year—the equivalent of eliminating emissions from more than 200 million cars.  

"We are ready to quickly scale up proven innovations that already are helping farmers in vulnerable regions like Africa and South Asia adapt to more challenging climate conditions," said Professor Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, chair, CGIAR System Board. "That includes increasing access to improved varieties of naturally stress tolerant crops like cassava and millets, employing new tools and strategies farmers are using to support healthy ecosystems by reviving degraded lands, and providing long-range climate forecasts that help farmers anticipate and navigate weather extremes and shifting rainfall patterns."

The foundation's US $100 million investment announced today, which matches the UAE's commitment of US $100 million, will support organizations, like the CGIAR, that are on the forefront of developing agricultural innovations. Additional foundation funding will support the work of AIM4Scale, a new climate adaptation initiative to be launched by the UAE. The foundation will also join partner countries, philanthropies, and financial institutions to help accelerate access to high-impact agricultural innovations for small-scale farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia by reducing policy and funding-related barriers.

CGIAR a "best buy" in adaptation

For over 50 years, CGIAR's work has helped save millions of lives and trillions of dollars globally. Its focus on smallholder farmers has delivered humanitarian benefits that rival the lifesaving power of vaccines. It consistently delivers high-impact innovations at a very low cost, with every dollar invested in its work returning US $10 in benefits for local farming communities.

With the foundation's commitment announced today, it has exceeded its current pledge to CGIAR of US $315 million and joins a growing global movement for action on climate adaptation. This includes new funding from donor countries to CGIAR totaling over US $800 million for the 2023-2024 funding cycle.

The foundation's support for agriculture adaptation at COP28 builds on previous commitments dating back to 2017 to help smallholder farmers cope with climate change. To learn more about the foundation's work to create a pipeline of climate-smart agricultural solutions, new applications of digital technologies, low-emission approaches to small-scale livestock farming, and innovations that address the neglected needs of women farmers, please visit: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/climate-adaptation.

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman, under the direction of Co-chairs Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates and the board of trustees.

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