ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS — The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) has joined the African Development Bank (ADB) in working to increase wheat production and strengthen food security in Ethiopia. As part of their efforts, the two organizations are seeking to provide technical assistance for the implementation of the $94.3 million Ethiopia Climate Resilient Wheat Value Chain Development Project (CREW) in Ethiopia. According to the groups, the CREW project aims to address the vulnerability of Ethiopia’s agriculture sector, particularly wheat production, to climate change.

Funding for the CREW project in part is earmarked for financing various interventions across the wheat value chain in support of Ethiopia’s wheat production strategy. Interventions include improving seed quality, ensuring a steady supply of fertilizers, promoting mechanization on clustered wheat farms, and developing irrigation infrastructure in the lowland areas of Ethiopia, the GCA said.

 For its part, the GCA said it will provide the CREW project with climate adaptation measures to identify, design, and integrate digital adaptation solutions throughout the wheat value chain. These measures include assessing local climatic conditions and food security, the generation of micro-region climate risk maps and information to highlight local enabling conditions for particular interventions to accelerate adaptation in agriculture, and development of a stakeholder workshop to obtain consensus on the identification of priority digital extension mechanisms and facilitate the integration of DCAS and adaptation solutions in the wheat farmer registration system, and support.

“These measures are intended to enhance the resilience of Ethiopia’s wheat production system, making it better equipped to withstand climate variability and change,” the GCA said. “Furthermore, the project aims to improve production and productivity of wheat in Ethiopia with the aim of promoting national wheat self-sufficiency, regional trade, and exports.”