This is an excerpt of an opinion article written by Marco Knowles, FAO Social Protection Team Leader. You can access the complete article on Inter Press Service (IPS). 

The Spanish version of this article is also available.

Climate change is exacerbating inequalities between and within countries, disproportionately affecting poor households in rural areas.

Every year, over a trillion dollars are allocated to combating climate change and its consequences. Far too little of this financing reaches the most vulnerable. Shockingly, despite the critically important role that small-scale farmers play in growing the food that feeds us and in stewarding the natural resources that determine the health of planet Earth, only 1.7 % of climate finance currently reaches them.

Decision makers are therefore faced with a massive challenge – what policy instruments can they rely on for directing climate finance to poor small-scale farmers to enable them to adapt to the changing climate?

Unless we, as a global community, put in place concrete measures that enable small-scale farmers to overcome the challenges they face due to climate change, we will fail to rise to the challenge of eradicating poverty, hunger and malnutrition. This can no longer wait: urgent investment in social protection for inclusive climate action is an imperative.