Farmers with the smallest carbon footprint and contribution to global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions often have the least access to resources necessary for adaptation.

In SE Asia, 75% of vulnerable populations reside in rural areas, where agriculture is their primary source of income. By 2050, 20% of the region’s population will face food insecurity due to a projected 10% decline in agricultural productivity. The world’s 600 million smallholder farmers (100 million of which reside in SE Asia), working on less than two hectares of land, produce roughly 30–34% of the global food supply yet, most financing available to smallholder farmers is poorly suited to their reality. Without measures to help smallholder farmers adapt to climate change, it is estimated that global agricultural productivity will decrease by 17% by 2050.

80% of SE Asia’s population lives in coastal or low-lying areas, which are increasingly threatened by sea-level rise, cyclones, flooding, and heatwaves. SE Asia also contains 40% of global coral reefs and 35% of the world’s mangroves - critical ecosystems that are under urgent threat. Coastal communities in low lying regions and in small island states are some of the most vulnerable to climate change worldwide. Yet adaptation finance dedicated to help coastal communities conserve, restore and protect coastal and marine habitats is falling critically short of what is needed.