About 6,000 families in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak will benefit from a Green Climate Fund (GCF)-funded project on boosting farmers’ resilience amid water insecurity caused by climate change.

The figure was released at a meeting on October 6 between the provincial People’s Committee and a delegation from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to discuss the US$33-million project on strengthening the resilience of smallholder agriculture to climate change-induced water insecurity in the Central Highlands and south-central coastal regions.

Small-scale farmers with plots of less than one hectare who are dependent upon one or two rain-fed crops a year are the most vulnerable to changes in water availability and its effect on agricultural productivity.

The six-year project (2020-2026) is expected to benefit over 222,400 residents, or 10% of the population of Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Binh Thuan, and Ninh Thuan provinces, especially women and ethnic minority people.

It is designed to modernise irrigation systems, improve water security and livelihoods, provide knowledge on climate risk and climate resilient agriculture, and strengthen access to agro-climate information, credit, and markets.

Some US$4.5 million of the funding will be invested in the implementation of the project in Dak Lak province's four districts of Ea Hleo, Cu Mgar, Ea Kar, and Krong Pac.

Speaking at the meeting, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Vietnam Sitara Syed urged local authorities to quickly set out a roadmap and complete necessary procedures for the implementation to begin before June 4, 2021.

Underscoring the importance of agriculture as a local economic driver, Chairman of the Dak Lak Provincial People’s Committee Pham Ngoc Nghi pledged to meet all project requirements so it can be carried out quickly.