The Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved $250 million in financing for Glaciers to Farms, a flagship adaptation program led by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) aimed at building resilient water and agricultural systems in glacier-dependent regions of Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Pakistan.
The GCF contribution, primarily in the form of grants, will be complemented by $3.25 billion in ADB investments over the next decade. Together, these funds will support a series of country-driven projects to improve water storage, irrigation, and watershed management—helping farmers sustain productivity as glacial melt accelerates, increasing drought and flood risks.
“Rapid glacial retreat is one of the most complex development challenges faced by our region,” said Yasmin Siddiqi, ADB Director for Agriculture, Food, Nature, and Rural Development. “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.”
Covering nine ADB developing member countries—Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan—the program targets regions that rely heavily on glacier and snow-fed rivers for agriculture, domestic water, and energy. Accelerating glacial melt is threatening these lifelines in areas where about one in four people work in agriculture.
The initiative will focus on four major glacier-fed river basins: the Naryn and Pyanj in Central Asia, the Kura in the South Caucasus, and the Swat in Pakistan—spanning roughly 27 million hectares.
An estimated 13 million people, including farmers and vulnerable populations in remote mountain communities, are expected to benefit directly from the program. It will strengthen climate and glacier monitoring, expand early warning systems, and inform national development planning through data-driven risk assessments.
Beyond agricultural resilience, Glaciers to Farms will support adaptive social protection programs and health services for communities affected by water scarcity and extreme heat. It will also work with local financial institutions to increase access to credit for agricultural enterprises, particularly those led by women.
“The Glaciers to Farms program is the kind of large-scale, innovative, and collaborative effort that will help countries in Central and West Asia strengthen adaptation planning and cooperation to manage climate impacts on glacier-fed water systems,” said Thomas Eriksson, GCF Director for Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East Region. “This program sets a transformative benchmark by improving data, coordination, and financing readiness for long-term resilience in the region’s water and food systems.”
The GCF approved its concessional funding for the program at its 43rd Board Meeting on 29 October. Earlier GCF-funded glacier risk assessments conducted in 2024 laid the scientific and technical groundwork for the initiative.
The Asian Development Bank, founded in 1966 and owned by 69 members (50 from the Asia-Pacific region), continues to play a leading role in promoting inclusive, sustainable, and climate-resilient growth across the region through innovative financing and strategic partnerships.
Image: Asian Development Bank
