New Funding for Sudan Supports Climate-Resilient Food and Water Security

The Green Climate Fund, along with the United Nations Development Program, signed a $25.6 million grant with the government of Sudan to promote food and water security in the country. The project is expected to support 1.2 million farmers and nomadic herders directly and 2.5 million people indirectly.

“Addressing the impact of climate change is a collective responsibility,” said Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. “This [project] will help us minimize the impact of Covid-19, and put our people and planet first.”

Climate change, erratic rainfall, and higher temperatures are affecting the country’s arid and semi-arid drylands, where 70 percent of the Sudanese population lives. Intermittent rainfall has lengthened droughts and increased poverty levels. The project aims to combat these issues, which are compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic and local conflicts over land and water.

One objective is to improve access to water by constructing wells, small-scale irrigation, sand dams, and water storage tanks. Food security is another. It will be accomplished by planting trees that protect cultivated land from dust storms, guiding women-led farms, and making available more varieties of seeds.