Enhancing Sustainable Land Management and Climate-Resilient Agri-food Systems in Côte d'Ivoire (LARACI)

In Côte d'Ivoire, climate change hazards have increased vulnerability of the country’s staple food systems across five central regions – N'Zi, Moronou, Iffou, La Mé, and Gbêkê. Rising temperatures, rainfall variability, droughts, floods, and climate-induced pest pressure are intensifying in areas weakened by decades of cocoa-driven deforestation. The impact of these hazards is compounded by underfinancing of the rice, cassava, and yam value chains, even as a projected decline in crop production threatens over half a million livelihoods in a sector that employs 48 percent of the population.

To address these challenges, the LARACI project will drive a shift to climate-smart agriculture through three components: strengthen the enabling environment for climate-resilient agriculture through agrometeorological advisory services, stronger regulations, and improved access to climate-aligned finance; reduce emissions and enhance soil carbon sequestration through agroforestry and sustainable land management; and scale climate-smart practices and technologies across the rice, cassava, and yam value chains, with targeted support for women and youth.

The project is expected to benefit around 147,000 people directly and 441,000 indirectly, enabling large-scale adoption of climate-smart agriculture, while embedding capacity within national institutions. It is also projected to deliver emission reductions of 606,212 tCO₂eq over the five-year implementation period, and around 3.8 million tCO₂eq over a twenty-year lifespan. Its alignment with national priorities and integration into national systems reinforce country ownership and sustainability beyond the project period.

Implemented by CGIAR, as its first GCF-funded investment, with national executing entities including FIRCA, a GCF Direct Access Entity, and AfricaRice, the project advances GCF's emphasis on transformative systems change, and its strategic priorities on resilient agriculture, food security, and ecosystems.