US$150 Billion a Year Needed to Safeguard South Asia’s Food Production, Says New Report

A new global analysis has revealed that US$150.3 billion per year is required to help smallholder farmers across South Asia adapt to climate change and safeguard the region’s food security. The study, conducted by Climate Focus for Family Farmers for Climate Action—a global alliance representing 95 million small-scale producers across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific—was released ahead of the UN Climate Summit (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, where climate adaptation will be a major focus.

The report estimates that smallholders managing up to 10 hectares of land—who produce at least 70% of South Asia’s food—require substantial investments to build resilience against rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and extreme weather. Of this, India alone accounts for US$136.49 billion in adaptation costs.

Breakdown of Investment Needs

According to the analysis:

• US$125 billion is needed to promote sustainable and resilient practices such as agroecology.

• US$23 billion is required for early warning systems and crop insurance, and

• US$2 billion for digital services including localized weather forecasts.

Despite the urgent need, only US$0.21 billion in international public finance was directed toward smallholder farmers in South Asia in 2021—just 0.13% of the estimated requirement.

Country-wise Adaptation Costs

The country-level estimates show the enormous scale of adaptation needs:

• India: US$114.34 billion

• Vietnam: US$4.10 billion

• Indonesia: US$9.89 billion

• Philippines: US$4.76 billion

• Kenya: US$1.69 billion

• South Africa: US$3.20 billion

• Brazil: US$6.39 billion

The largest expenses for India include improved seeds (US$21.03 billion), fertilizers and soil amendments (US$54.28 billion), and micro-irrigation (US$39.03 billion).

A Global Challenge

Globally, the report estimates US$443 billion per year is needed to meet the climate adaptation costs of smallholder farmers who produce half of the world’s food calories. This is less than the US$470 billion spent annually on agricultural subsidies that often worsen environmental degradation and inequality.

Voices from the Ground

Elizabeth Nsimadala, President of the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF), emphasized: “This isn’t charity—it’s an investment in the food security of people around the globe. Smallholders produce half the world’s food calories, support 2.5 billion livelihoods, and are central to global supply chains of commodities like rice, wheat, cocoa, and coffee. Investing in smallholder adaptation benefits us all.”

COP30 and the Adaptation Finance Gap

As global leaders gather for COP30, questions remain over whether developed nations will honor their commitment to double adaptation finance to US$38–40 billion by 2025 or set a new, more ambitious target.

The Brazilian Presidency’s Action Agenda at COP30 aims to accelerate finance for sustainable, resilient agriculture and elevate the voices of family farmers in negotiations on finance, loss and damage, and the just transition, through initiatives like the Circle of Peoples.

The writer of this article is Dr. Seema Javed, an environmentalist & a communications professional in the field of climate and energy