AGRA/CGIAR Climate Adaptation & Financing Programme 2026 for Women-Led Agribusinesses in Sub-Saharan Africa

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Applications are open for AGRA/CGIAR Climate Adaptation & Financing Programme 2026. AGRA and CGIAR have opened an Expression of Interest for women-led agribusinesses in sub-Saharan Africa that are contributing to climate adaptation, offering selected businesses an opportunity to receive grant funding, technical assistance and capacity-building support.

The initiative is being implemented by AGRA through its VALUE4HER initiative and CGIAR through the Adaptation Insights project. It aims to identify and support women-led agribusinesses that are developing practical approaches to adapting to the impacts of climate change.

Selected businesses may receive a small grant alongside technical support to document and communicate their climate adaptation practices. The programme is intended to help showcase solutions being developed by women entrepreneurs within Africa’s agrifood sector.

The work aligns with VALUE4HER’s mandate to strengthen women-led agribusinesses through access to finance, markets, technology, mentoring, networking, and capacity building. It extends VALUE4HER’s value proposition by adding a climate adaptation evidence and finance readiness layer that enables women-led SMEs to demonstrate their resilience contribution and position themselves for future climate-related investment opportunities.

Implementing Partners

The initiative is being implemented jointly through programmes associated with AGRA and CGIAR.

AGRA is implementing its component through the VALUE4HER initiative, which focuses on strengthening opportunities and support for women in agribusiness.
CGIAR is implementing its component through the Adaptation Insights project, which focuses on generating and sharing insights related to climate adaptation.
The collaboration brings together expertise in agriculture, climate adaptation, entrepreneurship and financing to support women-led businesses.

AGRA/CGIAR Climate Adaptation & Financing Programme Objectives

Through VALUE4HER, identify women-led agribusiness SMEs with existing adaptation practices, climate risk exposure, and evidence potential.
Strengthen these SMEs’ capacity to organize, validate, package, and communicate existing climate adaptation data and learning.
Improve the SMEs climate finance and investment readiness by translating adaptation evidence into business-relevant narratives and materials.
Generate a synthesized evidence base on women-led agribusiness adaptation practices, business benefits, and resilience outcomes.
Contribute to gender-responsive adaptation measurement, policy engagement, and reporting by making women-led SME adaptation more visible and usable.

AGRA/CGIAR Climate Adaptation & Financing Programme Benefits

Through the initiative, selected businesses will benefit from:

A small grant to support their activities.
Technical assistance.
Capacity-building support.
Assistance documenting climate adaptation practices.
Support to communicate and showcase their climate adaptation approaches.

The programme therefore combines potential financial support with knowledge development and visibility for women-led businesses.

Eligibility Criteria

The Expression of Interest is specifically aimed at women-led agribusinesses operating in sub-Saharan Africa.
Businesses applying should be able to demonstrate that their activities are contributing to climate adaptation.
The eligibility screening begins by asking whether the agribusiness is led or majority-owned by a woman or women.
Applicants are required to answer the eligibility questions honestly before proceeding with the application.
Women entrepreneurs working within the agricultural and agribusiness sectors who are developing solutions to climate-related challenges may therefore find the programme particularly relevant.