The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has announced a $1.4 billion investment to help smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia adapt to the impacts of climate change.
The commitment was disclosed on Monday in Abuja and unveiled at the 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, where global leaders emphasised the need for locally driven climate adaptation strategies.
The four-year funding initiative will provide farmers with tools and resources to build resilience against extreme weather events while protecting progress in poverty reduction.
“Smallholder farmers are feeding their communities under difficult conditions.
“We’re supporting their work with the tools and resources to help them thrive, because investing in their resilience is one of the most impactful things we can do for people and the planet,” the foundation said in a statement.
The funding aligns with Gates’ broader COP30 vision to prioritise climate investments that deliver human impact and lift millions out of poverty by 2045.
Smallholder farmers in low-income countries produce about one-third of the world’s food but remain highly vulnerable to droughts, floods, and rising temperatures. Yet, the foundation noted, less than 1% of global climate finance is directed toward protecting these food systems.
Research cited by the foundation suggests that targeted adaptation investments could increase GDP in developing and small island states by up to 15 percentage points by 2050. The World Resources Institute estimates that every dollar invested in adaptation generates more than $10 in social and economic benefits within a decade.
The $1.4 billion initiative will focus on scaling farmer-led, evidence-based innovations to strengthen productivity and resilience. This includes expanding digital advisory services through mobile platforms, offering AI-powered weather forecasts and tailored farming advice.
One initiative, AIM for Scale, aims to reach 100 million farmers across Africa, Asia, and Latin America by 2030. The programme also supports the development of climate-resilient crops and livestock designed to withstand drought, heat, and pests while improving yields and nutrition.
Soil health is another focus, with a $30 million partnership with the Novo Nordisk Foundation aimed at restoring degraded land and improving agricultural productivity. Previous partnerships, including collaborations with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) and TomorrowNow, are already providing hyper-local weather alerts to farmers in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, and Zambia.
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The foundation emphasised that governments and the private sector must collaborate with farmers to scale solutions effectively. “Climate adaptation is not just a development issue; it’s an economic and moral imperative,” it said.
The investment coincides with Africa’s growing leadership in climate adaptation. According to the 2025 UN State of Food Security and Nutrition report, Africa remains the only region where hunger and malnutrition increased this year, highlighting the need for sustained investment in rural food systems.
At COP30, the Gates Foundation co-hosted the Agricultural Innovation Showcase with Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Embrapa, AGRA, CGIAR, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), and the United Arab Emirates.
The event highlighted scalable, climate-smart solutions developed for and by farmers, demonstrating how inclusive adaptation can support economic growth.
