Integrated Flood Management to Enhance Climate Resilience of the Vaisigano River Catchment in Samoa

This project forms a part of a broad and comprehensive ridge-to-reef approach on integrated flood management in the AUA identified by the GoS. The approach will work on programmatic barriers in a phased manner, treating both consecutive geographic zones (starting with Vaisigano River Catchment to the Greater Apia Catchment and onwards to other micro and macro catchments in Samoa), as well as prioritized themes (starting with integrated flood management). Through various interventions in this project that focuses on capacity building (both technical and knowledge-based) and private sector partnerships (especially focusing on innovative approaches) an enabling environment will be created towards the achievement of the broader development goal of the GoS envisaged under the SDS. It will also contribute towards upscaling and replication in the broader Pacific region context as this project is one of the first in the region to address flood management in a comprehensive manner.<br />
The project has included capacity building for upstream ecosystem enhancing activities that will protect and revitalize the water catchment, including: agroforestry projects, forest-pastoral systems and microbusinesses. This forms a strong element of knowledge and learning that will benefit communities and the businesses alike. From a business incubation angle, GCF resources will be used to extend the existing lending, guarantee, and training programs to new businesses that contribute to flood management in the catchment area, established under the SBEC and Development Bank of Samoa. Trainings will be designed to ensure interventions are maintained over the long-term.<br />
In order to foster a sustainable ecosystem-based adaptation response to reduce water flow during extreme weather events, GCF resources will support enterprise development focused on reducing flood risk in the catchment area. Channeled via MoF, GCF resources will be used to facilitate the participation of vulnerable households in climate resilient agri-businesses through removal of financial barriers for technology transfer and/or adoption, business skills development, and to facilitate access to markets to ensure financial viability and sustainability. GCF resources will be used within existing government sponsored programs to increase uptake of climate-resilient packages that help farmers access resilient technological inputs, information, and finance (by reducing the cost of existing financial services packages for SMEs), and to access distant markets for climate resilient products, including through partnerships with the private sector.