UNDP_GCF

Climate change is affecting the hydrological cycle resulting in more erratic precipitation patterns. Its effects are already visible in terms of runoff, flooding and erosion during heavy rainfall events. During periods of sustained reduced rainfall, drought impacts affect groundwater and reserves and surface water availability with consequences on agriculture and the population relying on it.

Due to the urgency of adapting to compound climate events (two or more climate disruptions occurring simultaneously) with greater resulting impacts, the Multi-country programme from UNDP aims to assist the six participating governments of Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe to design and develop on the Globale Climate Funds (GCF)-financed investments. The GCF aims to strengthen the climate resilience of watershed ecosystems and smallholder production systems within the programme countries. This is particular important since agriculture, including livestock, depend on sustained water resources and will be strongly impacted by climate change. Smallholder farmers and herders, who are responsible for the majority of agricultural production in the Southern Africa region, are primarily reliant on rainfall for crop production and livestock management, are increasingly exposed to climate-driven weather hazards, droughts and changes in rainfall patterns. This Multi-country programme is designed to support resilience of watersheds and their constituent elements (people, ecosystems) within countries through the adoption of integrated systems approach to projects – not on transboundary water basins.