Climate resilience
Drought, floods, failed harvests: rural farmers are the first to feel the impact of climate change. We work alongside them to build the knowledge and skills they need to cope.
Climate change affects everyone, but it hits the poorest hardest – even though they have done the least to cause it. In remote rural areas of Africa and Asia, where many people live in poverty and hunger, families depend directly on the land and water around them for their food and income. They have no safety net and no insurance, which leaves them exposed to shifting temperatures and extreme weather. That is why climate change is a major driver of hunger.
That’s why The Hunger Project invests in the climate resilience of rural communities, so they are better equipped to face the challenges of today and tomorrow.
Climate change is bringing more frequent floods, erratic rainfall, storms, extreme heat, droughts, erosion and salinisation. In many places, forests and biodiversity are also being lost at an alarming rate. The consequences for farming families are immediate:
- Prolonged drought and erratic rainfall destroy harvests, leaving families without food stocks or income.
- Some crops no longer grow as temperatures change, and new crop diseases and pests are emerging, so traditional farming methods are no longer enough.
- As water sources dry up, water becomes scarce. This makes farming and keeping livestock harder, and leaves families without enough clean drinking water.
- Hurricanes, floods and erosion wash away the soil, forcing people to search for new land to farm.
- The gap between those who have enough water, fertile land and food and those who don’t keeps on growing.
Adapting to farm better
“Farming has become harder. The question is what still counts as ‘normal’. The rains always used to come at the same time: August was a rainy month, so we planted our crops at the start of June. That worked well back then, but not any more – the rain has become too unpredictable. In the training sessions, we learned new techniques to deal with this. For example, we no longer plant at a fixed time. We still prepare the soil in advance, but we keep a close eye on everything and wait for the right moment to plant.”
Wat we doen.
The Hunger Project werkt samen met kleinschalige boeren aan meer klimaatbestendigheid. Zoals altijd is de aanpak maatwerk en komen mensen zelf in actie. Dat is niet anders bij klimaatvraagstukken. Omdat de omstandigheden in elk land en gebied verschillen, wisselt de aanpak per land en per programma. We onderzoeken op lokaal niveau welke impact klimaatverandering daar precies heeft én wat er wél kan. Met de u003ca href=u0022https://thehungerproject.nl/app/uploads/2026/06/Climate-Resilience-Index-_Goal-9_-Improve-environmental-and-climate-resilience-in-rural-communities.pdfu0022u003eClimate Resilience Indexu003c/au003e brengen we samen met een boerengemeenschap de klimaatrisico’s in kaart. Zodat we de gemeenschap kunnen ondersteunen met de kennis, vaardigheden en middelen die ze nodig hebben, en zij zelf in actie kunnen komen om hun klimaatbestendigheid te versterken.
Foto: Infoni Media
Foto: Johannes Odé
Foto: Johannes Odé
Foto: Infoni Media
Beter bestand tegen extreme omstandigheden.
In Mozambique kreeg het land in 2025 opnieuw te maken met extreem weer: zware regenval en overstromingen. We trainden boeren in de epicentra rondom Zinave National Park in klimaatslimme technieken: betere zaden, bodembescherming, het planten van bomen en struiken tegen erosie. Via een doorgeefprogramma met kleinvee bouwen huishoudens aan een extra buffer. Als de oogst mislukt, kan een geit worden verkocht, terwijl de mest de landbouwgrond verbetert. Inmiddels past 1 op de 10 huishoudens een of meerdere waterbesparende technieken toe. Dat was eerder 1 op de 50.