The Ministry of Agriculture and the United National Development Programme (UNDP) launches Climate Change Adaptation Fund to Grenada.
The much awaited Climate Change Adaptation Fund will be launched on Friday 14 November 2014 at the Flamboyant Hotel in the presence of Honorable Minister Roland Bhola and Lara Blanco, the Deputy Resident Representative to the UNDP for Barbados and the OECS.
The Fund is one component of a project entitled “Programme on Integrated Climate Change Adaptation Strategies (ICCAS)” in Grenada which is being implemented jointly by UNDP and the German International Agency (GIZ) through the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (MALFFE) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB).
Through this fund, the Ministry will provide opportunities to communities in Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique to cope with the effect of climate change and extreme weather conditions. In Grenada many sectors of the economy and communities continue to suffer from the effects of climate change. The farming communities suffer from droughts and flash floods while fishing communities suffer from a depleting fish stock. Some coastal areas have seen their coast line constantly being eroded, which causes safety issues as well as a threat to the development of the tourism industry. The raising of sea water temperature also have a negative impact on the reefs and the sea life that depends on them. Residential areas are increasingly subjected to flooding with extreme weather patterns bringing more flash floods than we had known in the past. Finally, Grenada has witnessed an increase in intensity of the cyclonic activity in the past 15 years compared to the 50 years before that period, with a total of 8 storms since 2000.
The Climate Change Adaptation Fund will fund projects that engage in activities which will help Grenada to adapt to climate change. These activities might be associated with the sectors of agriculture, fishing, tourism, health, water, education and awareness, marine and coastal, livelihoods and others. The fund brochure lists some example of possible projects such as national or community awareness campaigns, disaster risk reduction, training workshops, marine and land based resilience projects, invasive species control, climate smart agricultural projects, renewable energy and capacity building initiatives. Grenadian Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Community Based Organisations (CBOs) are eligible to apply for grants through the fund as well as unregistered groups and climate change innovators.
Selected projects can receive funding up to US$50,000 and some groups may be eligible for a startup fund of US$2,000 for project preparation. The call for proposal will be opened at the launch event. Interested applicants can contact the UNDP office at the Ministry of Agriculture for more information on 440–2708 ext 3027 or 420–1540 and 416–8980.
