EBRD Serbian Climate Resilience and Irrigation Project

About

The EBRD and selected donors have invested in enhancing Serbia’s resilience to climate change by providing a €15 million sovereign loan, coupled with technical assistance, to support critical irrigation infrastructure investments. The project is expected to save 1.24 million cubic metres of water annually, increase irrigation efficiency by over 15 per cent, and to reduce weather-related irrigation infrastructure disruptions by approximately two weeks a year.

Approach and impact

The project promotes gender equality by creating new economic opportunities, and introducing a training programme to local women farmers who often face barriers in accessing resources critical for their economic activities. This work will also feed into Serbia’s upcoming first-ever irrigation strategy and an action plan identifying investments and policy options for the next ten years in collaboration with the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).