The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) have signed an agreement for a contribution of US $150 million from the GCF to the Dairy Interventions for Mitigation and Adaptation (DAiMA) programme of US $358 million in East Africa, affecting 2.5 million rural people in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.

The program will help small-scale dairy farmers build resilience to climate change through improved veterinary services, extension and livestock services, and improved access to climate information. In addition, more than 15 million people will benefit indirectly from the program throughout the dairy sector value chains

“ Obtaining this substantial additional funding from the Green Climate Fund for the DAiMA program is an important step towards a sustainable and climate-resilient dairy sector in East Africa. With the collaboration of the governments of Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, our financial and technical partners, and through IFAD's innovative financing solutions, we want to improve the livelihoods of millions of dairy farmers,” said Sara Mbago-Bhunu, IFAD's Regional Director for East and Southern Africa

The dairy sector in East Africa is extremely vulnerable to climate change and is also characterized by significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including methane. The impacts of climate change include heat stress on dairy animals, prolonged and more frequent droughts, intensified heavy rains, floods, and other extreme weather events that reduce the productivity of dairy cows. Solutions that help farmers adapt to these impacts often lead to reducing GHG emissions or sequestering carbon in pastures

“ The DaIMA program is the first FVC investment dedicated to livestock and meets the immediate adaptation and mitigation needs of the four participating East African countries. The GVC is proud to partner with IFAD to ensure a systemic transformation of the dairy sector and build climate resilience, from farm to table,” said Catherine Kofmann, GCF director for the Africa region

The DAiMA program was designed by IFAD in collaboration with the FAO Investment Center, which provided critical technical expertise on livestock and climate change, and with the support of a GCF preparation fund. Other organizations also supported its design, including the Global Methane Hub and the Global Dairy Platform

The DAiMA program aims to reduce GHG emissions from the dairy industry by 2,169,485 tCO2 eq over a period of 20 years, thereby contributing to global efforts to combat climate change. Through the implementation of climate-friendly practices, the program is expected to increase milk production by 34%, thus significantly increasing the contribution of the dairy sector to agricultural GDP in the four target countries. Through capacity building and access to finance, the DaIMA program will improve the livelihoods of dairy farmers, with an emphasis on women and youth, by promoting gender equality and access to finance, the DaIMA program will improve the livelihoods of dairy farmers, with an emphasis on women and youth, by promoting gender equality and l social inclusion

“The approval of the DaIMA program represents a major milestone for the dairy sector in four East African countries facing climate challenges. By developing low-emission and climate-resilient solutions that focus on milk production efficiency, circularity and sequestration, by improving monitoring, reporting and verification systems and policies, and by mobilizing the local financial sector to channel climate finance to the private sector, DaIMA directly supports the implementation of determined contributions at the level national of each country's Paris Agreement, thus accelerating the sustainable transformation of the dairy sector in the region,” said Giovanni Munoz, Head of Department for East and Southern Africa at the FAO Investment Center