Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has successfully secured $68 million in funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to tackle pressing environmental challenges across 22 countries. This investment will address biodiversity loss, groundwater management, climate change, land degradation, and pollution, furthering global sustainability goals.
The projects, approved during GEF’s meetings in Washington D.C., aim to mobilize an additional $273 million in co-financing. This funding will support initiatives promoting biodiversity, social inclusion, sustainable land and water management, and reducing hazardous chemical usage.
Among the highlights is a $19 million allocation to FAO’s inaugural activities under the Small Grants Program, aimed at empowering civil society and community organizations in 14 countries. This initiative will help restore 20,000 hectares of land, improve agricultural practices across 350,000 hectares, and benefit 45,000 individuals. A strong focus on innovation, women, Indigenous Peoples, and youth inclusion ensures these projects drive impactful, scalable solutions.
Additional projects include a $1.7 million effort in Laos to enhance biodiversity through ecosystem restoration and a $6.4 million initiative in Papua New Guinea to improve ecosystem connectivity and climate resilience. In Cuba, $3 million will target unsustainable fishing and agriculture, while Nepal’s $1.3 million project focuses on conserving endangered freshwater fish. Meanwhile, Indonesia will receive $8 million to protect critical ecosystems housing species like the Javan Leopard and Sumatran Elephant.
A regional venture in Kenya and Tanzania, backed by $7.8 million, will improve water security and climate resilience in the Mount Kilimanjaro region. In Liberia, $5.1 million will combat land degradation and enhance soil health, benefiting over 60,000 people.
FAO is also supporting sustainable tourism in Vanuatu with a $4 million investment, restoring over 32,000 hectares of degraded ecosystems. Meanwhile, in Gambia, the $9.6 million FARM+ initiative will reduce harmful agrochemical use and foster agroecological practices, benefiting 240,000 people.
This milestone caps a year of unprecedented growth for the FAO-GEF partnership, which secured $440 million in funding in 2024 alone.
Since 2006, FAO has facilitated access to $1.9 billion for projects in 141 countries, aligning agrifood systems with environmental sustainability and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.
