FAO-backed roadmap puts Africa’s climate adaptation needs at $566 billion

A new assessment presented at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations sets out a roadmap for strengthening climate adaptation across African agriculture. The report, prepared by the Initiative for the Adaptation of African Agriculture Foundation in partnership with FAO, was presented during an event marking 10 years of the AAA Initiative.

The report, titled “The State of African Agricultural Adaptation, 2016–2026: Assessment and Roadmap to 2036,” examines how national climate and adaptation plans can be connected more effectively with policy and finance. It describes resilient agrifood systems as an important line of defense against climate shocks affecting the continent.

According to the assessment, 46 of the 53 African countries covered have estimated climate adaptation needs totaling $566 billion across the periods included in their national plans. That is equivalent to around $56 billion a year on average.

At least $80 billion of the combined amount relates specifically to agriculture. The report presents that figure as a minimum because 22 countries currently include the cost of agricultural adaptation within broader national totals rather than listing it separately.

The assessment says turning those needs into investment will require more financing and sustained capacity support. It calls for stronger assistance to help countries develop investment-ready projects and proposes that continental support should be delivered through institutions that already exist rather than by creating a new institution or fund.

At the FAO event, the effects of climate change on agricultural productivity, water availability, soil health, rural livelihoods and food security were highlighted as reasons for accelerating adaptation. The roadmap links the next phase of action to the longer-term horizon set for 2036.