GCF approves $250mn for 'Glacial Melt Adaptation' in Pakistan, Central Asia and Caucasus

MANILA: The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved $250 million in funding for the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Glaciers to Farms program, a flagship regional initiative aimed at strengthening climate resilience in glacier-dependent communities across Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Pakistan.

According to a news release, the program will invest in resilient water and agricultural systems for vulnerable mountain and downstream populations increasingly affected by glacial melt.

The GCF’s contribution—provided primarily as grants—will be combined with $3.25 billion in co-financing from ADB over the next decade.

The financing will support a series of projects identified by participating countries, focusing on irrigation efficiency, water storage, and watershed management to sustain agricultural productivity amid worsening droughts and floods linked to accelerated glacier retreat.

“Rapid glacial retreat is one of the most complex development challenges faced by our region,” said ADB Director for Agriculture, Food, Nature, and Rural Development Yasmin Siddiqi. “We need practical, scalable, and science-based solutions to help communities adapt. With catalytic support from GCF, Glaciers to Farms will help move the region beyond fragmented projects and towards systemic, long-term resilience that protects lives and livelihoods now and for future generations.”

The program covers nine ADB developing member countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—which all rely on glacier and snow-fed rivers for agriculture, domestic water, and electricity generation.

Accelerated glacial melt threatens these ecosystem services and livelihoods, presenting a serious challenge in these countries where about one in four jobs are linked to agriculture.

The program will focus on four glacier-fed river basins—the Naryn and Pyanj in Central Asia, the Kura in the South Caucasus, and the Swat in Pakistan—covering roughly 27 million hectares.

About 13 million people, including farmers and vulnerable populations in fragile mountain regions, will benefit directly from the program.

It will support climate and glacier assessments that will inform national development plans and investment pipelines. The program will also strengthen monitoring and early warning systems to help communities manage the impacts of hazards such as glacial lake outburst floods and prolonged droughts, the statement said.

In addition to agricultural systems, Glaciers to Farms will also support adaptive social protection schemes and health services for vulnerable communities affected by water shortages and extreme heat stress. The program will also strengthen local banks’ capacity to support agricultural businesses, especially those led by women.