Côte d’Ivoire secures $50M climate finance boost for climate-smart farming

Côte d’Ivoire has won approval for a $50 million climate-finance package to help rice, cassava and yam farmers in central regions adapt to climate change. The five-year project aims to improve land management on 110,600 hectares, cut emissions and reach 147,000 smallholders.

Why it matters: - The funding is aimed at helping farmers in central Côte d’Ivoire cope with climate impacts while protecting food production in rice, cassava and yam. - The project is designed to move climate finance directly to smallholders who often struggle to access it. - The initiative supports national food security, ecological transition and climate adaptation goals.

What happened: - The Green Climate Fund board approved the LARACI project, short for “Renforcement de la gestion durable des terres et des systèmes agroalimentaires résilients au changement climatique en Côte d’Ivoire.” - The project covers the N’Zi, Moronou, Iffou, La Mé and Gbêkê regions. - The government of Côte d’Ivoire, CGIAR and FIRCA will implement the program at scale. - The announcement was made in Abidjan on July 1, 2026.

The details: - Over five years, LARACI will place 110,600 hectares under improved, low-emissions and climate-resilient land management. - The project targets more than 600,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent in emissions reductions. - LARACI will support 147,000 smallholders with tools to manage climate risk, stabilize yields and raise incomes. - The financing package includes a $40 million grant from the Green Climate Fund. - The Côte d’Ivoire government and CGIAR partners are providing $10 million in co-financing. - The project focuses on climate information, extension services and agroforestry. - Optimized cassava-legume intercropping is intended to raise productivity, protect soil fertility and reduce erosion. - Improved rice intensification practices are expected to use water more efficiently and cut methane emissions. - Climate-adapted staking for yam is expected to improve yields and increase carbon sequestration above and below ground. - The project also supports Côte d’Ivoire’s climate-smart agriculture investment plan and its nationally determined contributions. - The project was developed in close collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Ecological Transition.

Between the lines: - The approval gives Côte d’Ivoire a test case for channeling international climate money through national systems and research partners. - The model links research, implementation and farmer outreach in one program, which could make delivery faster and more practical on the ground. - CGIAR’s role signals a broader effort to turn agricultural research into direct climate-finance action, not just technical advice. - The project is being framed as a replicable model for scaling climate resilience across Africa.

What's next: - FIRCA, CGIAR and the government will begin rollout across the five central regions. - The program will need to translate the approved funding into field-level extension, training and land-management changes. - Results on yields, emissions and farmer incomes will shape whether the model can be expanded beyond the initial regions.

The bottom line: - Côte d’Ivoire has secured a major climate-finance commitment that pairs adaptation, emissions cuts and agricultural productivity in one of the country’s most important farming regions.