Building adaptive capacity to climate change in vulnerable communities living in the Congo River Basin

Congo is experiencing main climate change impacts such as extreme weather events, sea-level rise, average global temperature rise, and unpredictable rainfall patterns have considerable effects on people’s livelihoods. Consequently, changing climatic conditions threaten the achievement of development goals, with extreme consequences for the most vulnerable social groups. Large parts of the economy in Congo are highly climate sensitive in particular the agriculture, infrastructure and water sectors. Also, livelihoods are highly dependent on climate-sensitive natural resources such as dry land agriculture, forestry and local water resources. There is little protection against disasters from storms and floods and there is limited adaptive capacity.

The project aims to reduce vulnerability to the impacts of climate change and strengthen adaptive capacities of vulnerable communities and the ecosystems they depend on, by promoting food security, nutrition and use a gender sensitive approach. The project purposely targets those who are most affected by climate change, poverty, food insecurity, and who rely on agricultural livelihoods that are limited by and vulnerable to climate change impacts, especially women and indigenous groups.