The Asian Development Bank (ADB) launched a new regional program, Glaciers to Farms, that will promote sustainable water use and food security in Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and Pakistan amid the catastrophic impacts of accelerated glacial melt due to climate change.
Supported by the Green Climate Fund’s (GCF) Project Preparation Facility, ADB will conduct risk assessments of glacial melt in Azerbaijan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan—forming the scientific and technical basis for the Glacier to Farms program.
With temperatures in the region projected to rise by up to 6 degrees Celsius by 2100, the loss of glacial mass threatens the fragile balance of ecosystems, jeopardizing water supply for agriculture and hydropower, and risking the livelihoods of more than 380 million people.
COP29 President and Azerbaijan Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Mukhtar Babayev; Kazakhstan Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Yerlan Nyssanbayev; Kyrgyz Republic Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision Meder Mashiev; Tajikistan Committee on Environmental Protection Chairman Bahodur Sheralizoda; and Uzbekistan Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change Aziz Abdukhakimov signed a declaration of support for preserving glaciers with ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa and GCF Chief Investment Officer Henry Gonzalez.
«As melting glaciers change waterflows, disrupt lives, and destroy ecosystems, we must act now,» said Masatsugu Asakawa. «As Asia and the Pacific’s climate bank, we are pleased to be joined by key partners to launch this program to drive international collaboration and deliver results where they matter most—on the ground, in communities at risk.»
Glaciers to Farms envisages mobilizing up to $3.5 billion from ADB, GCF, governments, development partners, and the private sector, subject to the participating institutions’ board approvals. In addition to water and agriculture investments, the program will support vulnerable communities threatened by glacial melt, particularly in fragile mountain regions.
«The GCF recognizes the regional Glaciers to Farms program as a vital initiative to enhance climate resilience and promote sustainable development,» GCF Chief Investment Officer Henry Gonzalez said.
Pakistan Minister of Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb and Georgia Minister for Economy and Sustainable Development Genadi Arveladze also attended the COP29 side event.
ADB stresses that glaciers are essential natural service providers. They store freshwater that melts gradually, feeding rivers that support demand for agriculture, hydropower, and drinking water across national borders.
In upstream areas, shrinking glaciers diminish water flow, impacting local agriculture and increasing water shortages. Downstream, increased glacial runoff can cause floods. As glaciers continue to shrink, both upstream and downstream communities face greater water and food insecurity, and more risk to critical infrastructure.
Glaciers to Farms is one of several ADB initiatives to help Asia adapt to melting glaciers.
The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2025 the International Year of Glacier Preservation.
According to the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, over the past 70 years the area of glaciers in the republic has decreased by 16 percent, in some regions almost all glaciers have disappeared, and by 2100 we may lose more than half of them.
The 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is being held in Baku from November 11 to November 22.
