The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved the “RE-GAIN: Scaling solutions for food loss in Africa” project, that is expected to strengthen the climate resilience and the capacity of smallholder farmers in Uganda to adapt solutions that reduce food loss.
The project to be implemented by AGRA in close collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development is expected to boost Uganda's food trade competitiveness in maize and beans which aligns with government priorities.
Six other African countries that will benefit from the project, include Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Burkina Faso.
The Green Climate Fund will provide USD 75,623,754( approximately shs277.6 billion) in grant financing to transform agricultural practices and ensure food security in the face of climate change through market creation, private sector engagement, and the promotion of food loss reduction
solutions.
"This project has been approved under GCF’s pilot Project-Specific Assessment Approach, which is designed to streamline access to GCF finance and facilitate wider partnerships. The approval of this project demonstrates how the PSAA modality continues to accelerate access to GCF resources, reduce transaction costs, and facilitate the implementation of innovative climate projects with new partners,” said Henry Gonzalez, the chief investment officer for the Green Climate Fund.
The AGRA Country Director, Mr. David Wozemba, said, “The RE-GAIN Project will create an enabling environment for large-scale adoption of food loss reduction strategies and drive transformative change and contribute to food security in Uganda.”
“It will focus on both the demand and supply sides of food loss reduction technologies to
create robust markets and improve the livelihoods of millions of farmers in Uganda. ”
The project targets about 2.6 million smallholder farmers as direct beneficiaries and about 2.7 million people as indirect beneficiaries.
“Two major crops per target country were selected, based on area coverage, importance for food security and income, and climate vulnerability, to ensure that sufficient resources would be available for implementation of targeted solutions,” said Mr. Wozemba
“For instance, maize and beans are produced in large parts of Uganda by a number of smallholder farmers, which reflects the agronomic and economic realities in the country and provide opportunities for targeted improvement of food security and sustainable agricultural practices,” he added.
Some of the food loss strategies for smallholder farmers include improved post-harvest handling, access to extension services and early warning systems, improved market access and infrastructure, and supportive policy and institutional frameworks.
“The RE-GAIN Project will empower the private sector, particularly the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), to actively participate in creating sustainable agricultural solutions. It will create markets and improve the livelihoods of millions of farmers in Uganda”, said Mr. Wozemba.
