JFPR to issue $3mln grant to improve rural household resilience 

ArmInfo.The Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific (JFPR) will provide  Armenia with a $3 million grant to implement a program to increase the resilience of rural households and improve food security in rural areas that are vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The draft  agreement with the fund was approved at a meeting of the RA government on July 4.

As noted in the draft decision, the program is planned to be  implemented in two regions of the country - Shirak and Tavush, where  small farms face high levels of poverty and climate risks. Due to  climate change, air temperatures in Armenia are expected to rise by  2.8+C by 2050, which will have a negative impact on women from  vulnerable communities and entrepreneurs who will not be able to cope  with the impact of climate change. According to the World Food  Programme, female-headed households experience greater food  insecurity than male-headed households. In the Shirak region, for  example, 40.2% of households headed by women suffer from food  insecurity, and in the Tavush region of the Republic of Armenia -  41.1%. For comparison: the same indicator for households headed by  men in Shirak region was 28.7%, and in Tavush region - 27.5%.  External shocks such as coronavirus and regional conflicts place  additional burdens on households. In addition, as a result of the  negative impact of inflation on food products, the poverty level is  especially noticeable in Shirak and Tavush regions.

Aimed at addressing these challenges, the program will help reduce  poverty, increase food security and adapt to climate change as it  aims to improve living conditions in rural areas. With the help of  the grant, it will be possible to provide ten villages with  climate-resilient energy solutions, which, by reducing energy costs,  will be used to reinvest savings in their households. The program  will support improving living standards in rural communities through  climate-resilient agriculture, will help strengthen the institutional  capacity of the RA Ministry of Economy to support climate change  adaptation planning and develop environmentally sound investment  programs in the agricultural sector. The document provides for the  implementation of sustainable energy solutions through the purchase  and installation of small solar photovoltaic installations in 10  settlements and social facilities over an area of 160 square meters,  the formation of revolving funds from which funds will be invested in  subprojects that support the development of sustainable agriculture,  food security and climate adaptation of local communities.

The project envisages selection among 200 households - beneficiaries,  including households headed by women. According to the grant  agreement, it is stipulated that all possible taxes will be  co-financed by the RA government.