International Climate Finance Allocation

Côte d’Ivoire wins $50 million climate fund for smallholder farmers

Green Climate Fund Approves LARACI Project to Deploy Low-Emission Management Across 110,600 Hectares

In a major international deployment of climate finance aimed at reinforcing West African food sovereignty, Côte d’Ivoire wins $50 million climate fund for smallholder farmers. Approved on July 1, 2026, by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the five-year “Enhancing Sustainable Land Management and Climate-Resilient Agri-food Systems in Côte d’Ivoire” (LARACI / FP304) project will target 147,000 smallholders across the N’Zi, Moronou, Iffou, La Mé, and Gbêkê regions. The financing package features a $40 million GCF grant supplemented by $10 million in co-financing from the Ivorian government and CGIAR partners. The intervention is engineered to transition 110,600 hectares of strategic staple crops—specifically rice, cassava, and yam—into low-emission frameworks, cutting over 600,000 tons of CO2 equivalent emissions while building resilience against erratic rainfall patterns.

ABIDJAN, CÔTE D’IVOIRE — July 01, 2026 — The Green Climate Fund has approved a $50 million project to help farmers in Côte d’Ivoire’s central regions adapt to climate change and raise yields on rice, cassava and yam. The five-year program targets 147,000 smallholders and is designed to cut emissions, improve soil health and expand climate-smart farming practices.

Why it matters:

• Côte d’Ivoire’s rice, cassava and yam farmers are facing hotter temperatures, erratic rainfall, floods and climate-driven pests that threaten food security and rural incomes.
• The new funding is designed to move climate finance from planning to field-level support for smallholders in the country’s central belt.
• The project aims to protect yields while lowering emissions and improving resilience across staple crops that anchor diets and livelihoods.

What happened:

The Green Climate Fund approved a $50 million investment for the Enhancing Sustainable Land Management and Climate-Resilient Agri-food Systems in Côte d’Ivoire project, known as LARACI (FP304). The Government of Côte d’Ivoire, CGIAR, and FIRCA will implement the five-year project across the N’Zi, Moronou, Iffou, La Mé and Gbêkê regions. The financing package includes a $40 million GCF grant and $10 million in co-financing from the Government of Côte d’Ivoire and CGIAR partners, developed in close collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment and Ecological Transition.

The details:

• LARACI will bring 110,600 hectares under improved low-emission and climate-resilient management, targeting more than 600,000 tons of CO2 equivalent emissions reductions over five years.
• The program will directly support 147,000 smallholders with tools to manage climate risk, stabilize yields, raise production, and boost incomes, using climate information, extension services, and agroforestry as core delivery channels.
• Cassava-legume intercropping is part of the package and is intended to raise productivity, maintain soil fertility, and reduce erosion.
• Expanded System of Rice Intensification practices are meant to improve water-use efficiency and cut methane emissions.
• Climate-smart staking for yam is intended to improve crop performance and increase above- and below-ground carbon capture.
• The project directly supports Côte d’Ivoire’s Climate-Smart Agriculture Investment Plan and Nationally Determined Contributions, aligning with national priorities on food security, ecological transition, and climate change adaptation.

Between the lines & What’s next:

The project is structured to address a common barrier in climate finance: getting money and technology to farmers at scale, rather than only to institutions. The partnership model combines research, national delivery networks, and public finance, which could help turn proven practices into broader adoption. CGIAR’s role as a project implementer signals a larger shift toward agricultural research groups helping deliver climate finance, not just generate evidence. The project is being framed as a country-led model, which may make it easier to align donor funding with national agricultural and climate plans.

LARACI will roll out over five years in the central regions, with results expected in land management, emissions cuts, yields, and farmer incomes. FIRCA will lead fiduciary management, coordination of large-scale projects, and climate finance mobilization for implementation. AfricaRice and CGIAR partners will translate research into field practices for rice, cassava, and yam farmers, serving as a scalable blueprint for broader climate-resilient agriculture efforts in Africa.

Green Climate Fund (GCF) — LARACI Implementation Registry

Songon & Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire | Project FP304 Executive Briefing | July 2026