By Faridat Salifu
African stakeholders say the continent’s agricultural sector remains underfunded for climate adaptation, leaving smallholder farmers highly vulnerable to climate shocks despite international funding pledges.
Estimates suggest Africa faces a $365 billion shortfall in adaptation finance through 2035, with only $195 billion likely to be available under current funding levels, far below the $1.6 trillion researchers say is needed.
Agriculture, which employs millions of smallholders and provides up to 80 percent of food in sub-Saharan Africa, currently receives around 26 percent of adaptation finance, roughly $3.4 billion per year.
Experts warn that reliance on rainfed farming and unpredictable rainfall patterns make farmers and major food crops highly susceptible to droughts, floods, and other climate-related hazards.
Stakeholders, including the African Union and climate scientists, call for increased public financing, early-warning systems, loss-and-damage support, and widespread adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices such as conservation agriculture, agroforestry, and crop diversification.
Reports indicate that international climate finance in Africa is concentrated in just 10 countries, often excluding the most vulnerable nations such as Somalia and the Central African Republic, leaving millions of smallholders without access to critical funds.
African nonstate actors and researchers argue that loans are insufficient, stressing that public grants are necessary to ensure climate justice and resilience for farmers.
Recent pledges to the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) total $788.8 million, with $582.5 million contributed, but disbursement and support remain limited compared to the scale of need.
Experts urge urgent reforms, including redirecting harmful subsidies, mobilising private and public capital, and strengthening climate finance delivery mechanisms to protect livelihoods and food security across the continent.
Jiwoh Abdulai, Sierra Leone’s environment minister, said delays in funding increase costs exponentially, emphasizing that timely investment in smallholder agriculture is critical to Africa’s climate resilience.