Two big international groups, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), are teaming up with the Libyan government on a new water project worth US$9.2 million. The project will help about 57,000 families who are small-scale farmers and animal herders in very dry parts of Libya. The goal is to help them make their limited water last longer and become stronger against the effects of climate change.
This entire project is being paid for by a special fund called the Adaptation Fund. It is a big deal because it is the very first time IFAD has invested in Libya.
Vrej Jijyan, who is in charge of IFAD for this area, says they are, “happy to start working in Libya with this RENEWAL project. It is super important for helping Libyan farming become strong again.” He noted that by finding better ways to manage water and teaching new farming methods that work with the changing climate, they will be tackling the most serious problems for people living in the countryside. “We want to make sure that these farmers, especially women and young people, don’t just survive the tough times caused by climate change, but actually do well,” narrates Vrej, further stressing that, “this project shows we’re really committed to the future of farming and the people of Libya.”
Libya is one of the driest countries in the world. Hotter weather, less rain, and salty water getting into the ground near the coast mean that Libya might not have enough water for everyone in the future. Old water systems, climate problems, and changes in the government have made the long-standing water shortage even worse. Libya desperately needs to find ways to make its current water supply last longer. Helping small farmers and herders become more resilient is key to making sure there’s enough food, keeping communities together, and giving people in rural areas ways to earn a living where they live.
The start of the project was celebrated at a meeting in Tripoli at the end of April 2025. The meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and people from IFAD, UNOPS, and the Libyan government talked about what the RENEWAL project wants to achieve and how it will do it. The Ministry of Environment said this project is a really important step in helping vulnerable people, women, young people, and small farmers, as well as making sure there’s enough water and food.
UNOPS also stressed how important this project is for the economies of rural areas. Nathalie Angibeau, the UNOPS manager for North Africa, notea that, “finding ways to adapt to climate change is essential for making farming and raising animals in Libya strong.”
The project will do several important things, like improving how water and soil are managed, figuring out how climate change makes things worse in different areas, and teaching new skills to local people. The project will especially focus on including everyone and will prioritize the needs of women, small farmers, and herders.
The project will target areas across Libya that are most at risk, including the northwest, northeast, and south. It will be rolled out in stages. Besides helping with farming methods, the project will also collect and share what it learns across the country so that good practices can be used in other areas too.
Libya has been a member of IFAD for a long time and has given a lot of money to IFAD over the years, totaling US$49.97 million since IFAD started in 1977.
