WFP launches regional project to strengthen climate change adaptation across Sri Lanka and India

From left: UN Resident Coordinator for India Shombi Sharp, Government of India MoEFCC Economic Advisor Rajasree Ray, Environment Ministry Sri Lanka Additional Secretary – Environment Projects and Education Training W.G. Kumaragama, WFP Sri Lanka Deputy Country Director Gerard Rebello, and WFP India Country Director Elisabeth Faure  

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP), together with the Environment Ministries of Sri Lanka and India this week launched its Adaptation for Resilience (ADAPT4R) project. 

The five-year initiative aims to enhance the food security and livelihoods of farming communities facing climate-induced challenges. 

Supported through a $ 14 million contribution from the Adaptation Fund, the project is focused on those districts in the two countries where farmers face adverse weather impacts on agriculture and rural livelihoods. By providing information through climate services and leveraging existing systems, ADAPT4R will empower farmers, especially women, to make their farming and livelihoods resilient to the impacts of climate change.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) of the Government of India and the Environment, Wildlife, Forest Resources, Water Supply, Plantation and Community Infrastructure Ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka will jointly implement this with WFP.  

“India is at the forefront of responding to the increasing climate risks to food security. According to the Global Climate Risk Index (2021), the country is among the top 10 most vulnerable to climate events. This new partnership between WFP and MoEFCC would help address some of the critical climate-related challenges in India by building the adaptive capacity of smallholders in dryland areas,” said Government of India MoEFCC Economic Advisor Rajasree Ray. “The Adaptation for Resilience project marks a milestone in Sri Lanka’s collaborative efforts with WFP to tackle the universal challenge of climate change,” says Environment Ministry Sri Lanka Additional Secretary – Environment Projects and Education Training W.G. Kumaragama. “This timely project enables India and Sri Lanka to collaborate and learn from each other, as we work towards a common goal of helping at-risk communities build climate resilience.”  

The launch was also accompanied by a regional inception event, which provided a platform for stakeholders from India and Sri Lanka to move forward in project implementation. The event brought together Government officials and experts from both countries to discuss the way forward.

“This initiative will enhance the adaptive capacity of economically disadvantaged farming households confronted with significant climate risks, enabling them to implement localised adaptation strategies through improved practices and diversified, climate-resilient livelihoods and employing a participatory approach,” said WFP India Country Director Elisabeth Faure.

 “Our food systems are at the mercy of the rapidly intensifying effects of climate change,” says WFP Sri Lanka Deputy Country Director Gerard Rebello. “By partnering with the Environment Ministry, we aim to boost resilience and help vulnerable communities better prepare for erratic weather patterns. This will not only safeguard lives and livelihoods but ensure that the journey of food is uninterrupted.”

Additionally, present at the launch were UN Resident Coordinator for India Shombi Sharp, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry Deputy Secretary Ruchika Drall, WFP Cooperation Director General of the Partnership Secretariat M.H.A.M. Riflan, and WFP India Deputy Country Director Nozomi Hashimoto.