The Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub has supported Mauritius to secure a €600,000 grant to help smallholder farmers adapt to the changing climate in Mauritius.
The Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub has supported Mauritius to secure a €600,000 grant to help smallholder farmers adapt to the changing climate in Mauritius. The Government of Mauritius has also contributed €500,000.
The grant from the European Commission’s Global Climate Alliance Programme, will fund a new project to train local communities, including members of women’s groups, to address the problem of climate change affecting agricultural production and productivity.
A large part of the project is dedicated to awareness raising. Local farmers will be trained on the risks and impacts of climate change on agriculture and how to adapt and mitigate against these.
The grant will also seek to diversify the income of young farmers especially women. They will be taught how to convert agro waste into natural fibres for the production of useful raw materials and other products for various engineering, technical textile and artisanal uses.
The Commonwealth’s National Climate Finance Adviser in Mauritius, Patrick Karani said:
“Smallholder farmers in Mauritius are already experiencing the impact of climate change on agricultural production and productivity. As it stands they are at high risk and are unable to adapt to nor resist the effects of climate change and most likely to experience economic losses.
“By strengthening their ability to undertake climate smart agriculture, we can support them to become more resilient whilst also providing an opportunity for them to diversify their activities and earn additional income.”
The Commonwealth Climate Finance Access Hub ensures that Commonwealth small and other vulnerable states have improved access to climate finance by placing experts in government departments to support grant applications, capacity building and implementation. To date, the Hub has helped countries to access more than $30 million of climate finance with over $500 million in the pipeline.
