Iraq is among the Middle East’s most climate-vulnerable countries, experiencing prolonged droughts, extreme heatwaves, dust storms, water scarcity, and seawater intrusion. These risks disproportionately affect southern governorates (Basrah, Qadissiyah, Thi-Qar), where smallholder farmers heavily depend on irrigated agriculture. Climate change will exacerbate the region's food insecurity, poverty, and instability without urgent intervention.

This project will enable smallholder farmers and vulnerable households in southern Iraq to withstand climate shocks better and secure their livelihoods. It introduces efficient irrigation and water harvesting techniques, including drip systems, solar-powered pumps, and rooftop rainwater harvesting to address severe water scarcity. Farmers will diversify into stress-tolerant crops and vegetables while adopting climate-smart practices such as greenhouse tunnels, which extend the growing season and reduce exposure to extreme heat and salinity. Livelihood diversification will be promoted by supporting kitchen gardens, small-scale agro-processing, and other value chain opportunities, particularly targeting women and youth. These interventions will increase household income, enhance food security, and reduce migration pressures from rural communities.

The project will also strengthen the enabling environment for climate adaptation by improving the capacity of local institutions and service providers. Climate information services and decision-support tools will be upgraded to provide timely and actionable advice, and extension agents and government staff will receive specialised training in water management, climate-smart agriculture and resilience planning to ensure technical knowledge is accessible and available at the local level. Finally, knowledge exchange platforms will be established to capture lessons learned and facilitate replication of successful practices across other vulnerable regions of Iraq, contributing to long-term resilience building.

Promoting Climate Resilient Livelihoods for Food Insecure People in Southern Iraq

<p>Project information is sourced from Green Climate Fund. Please check terms of use for citation and licensing of third party data.</p>

Gender action plan for SAP060: Promoting Climate Resilient Livelihoods for Food Insecure People in Southern Iraq

Project

Iraq

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An aim to achieve a quantifiable outcome within a given time-frame, set by an institution such as a national government.

Policy instruments are techniques or tools used by governing authorities to promote certain policies in order to achieve predetermined goals. Put simply, instruments are how a government tries to achieve its goals, with this taxonomy being focused on national policy instruments.

Risk is the potential for adverse consequences resulting from the dynamic interplay between (climate-related) hazards, exposure, and vulnerability of affected human or ecological systems.

Groups  of people who are adversely affected by climate change or the response to it

A set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy.

Justice is the ethical and political framework that addresses fairness, including issues of responsibility, rights, and structural inequity.

Renewable energy means all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner.

Fossil fuel is a generic term for non-renewable energy sources such as coal, fossil gas, and oil (including crude oil, and petroleum products), that can be used for electricity and heat generation. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons formed from pressurised and heated organic material buried over millions of years.

Molecules in the atmosphere that play a key role in the greenhouse effect by trapping heat radiating from Earth’s surface.

Area of the economy in which actors engage in identical or related activities.

In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects, in order to moderate harm, increase resilience or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual climate change and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate change and its effects.

The management and allocation of funds, assets and investments to meet various objectives

People who are less able to respond to the effects of climate change due to having limited financial or physical assets

A loan is a policy instrument where funds are provided to a borrower with the expectation of repaying the principal plus interest.

A subsidy is a direct or indirect payment to individuals or businesses, typically provided as a government cash payment or a specific tax reduction.

Financial actors and resources that are primarily directed towards climate change mitigation, adaptation and compensation.

Dedicated pool of financial resources for climate-related projects.

Aligning the skills of the workforce with the requirements of the just transition.

Either money or something of monetary value is transferred between two or more organisations, people or countries.

Conditions that enhance the feasibility of adaptation options. Enabling conditions include finance, technological innovation, strengthening policy instruments, institutional capacity, multi-level governance and changes in human behaviour and lifestyles.

Actions or measures to adapt terrestrial systems to climate change.

Actions or measures to adapt freshwater systems to climate change.

Actions to adapt human health, healthcare systems and well-being to climate change.

Actions and measures to adapt and increase resilience of societies and the economy to climate change.

Actions or measures to adapt freshwater, coastal and marine systems to climate change.

Extreme weather refers to events where a weather variable exceeds (or falls below) a threshold. Meaning it is significantly different from the average or usual weather pattern.

A drought is an extended period of unusually dry weather marked by a significant and sustained lack of precipitation, falling below a specific threshold over a large area for more than a month

Terrestrial means "of the earth" and relates to the risks to ecological system that includes all living organisms and their interactions within land-based environments, such as forests, grasslands, and deserts.

Social inclusion is the process of improving the terms on which individuals and groups take part in society—improving the ability, opportunity, and dignity of those disadvantaged on the basis of their identity.

woman and genders outside of the gender binary

This sector involves activities that impart knowledge and skills to individuals, including formal schooling, vocational training and educational support.

This sector includes firms and individuals offering specialised expertise in fields such as law, accounting, consulting, science and engineering.

Activities of businesses and institutions that provide financial services and products to individuals and organisations.

Activities that involve the cultivation of crops and raising of livestock for food, fibre, and other products essential for human life and industry.

This sector involves the distribution, treatment, and conservation of water resources.

the fair distribution of risks and opportunities of climate change and the transition to a regenerative economy, cognisant in particular of disproportionate impacts on vulnerable communities and the working class

Procedural justice means ensuring that decision making is safe, transparent and inclusive, emphasizing the agency and influence of vulnerable groups and those most impacted.

Any substance with chemical properties that can cause physical harm to people or damage the environment, including ammonia, carbon monoxide, phosphine, chlorine, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, pesticides, dioxins, microplastics, benzene, asbestos, aflatoxins, fluoride, methanol, and toxins from marine sources.

Climate change impacts our society by disrupting the natural, economic and social systems we depend on. Physical hazards and underlying vulnerabilities can lead to increased resource competition for food and water, which can heighten the risk of conflict.

Gender action plan for SAP060: Promoting Climate Resilient Livelihoods for Food Insecure People in Southern Iraq

Target

Policy instrument

Risk

Impacted group

Just transition

Climate justice

Economic sector

Adaptation/resilience

Finance

Adaptation Fund

Climate Investment Funds

Green Climate Fund

Global Environment Facility