Azerbaijan invests in climate resilience after hosting COP29
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Azerbaijan committed €540 million to climate-resilient irrigation as part of its 2026-2030 state programme, following its hosting of the COP29 climate conference in Baku.
Agriculture Minister Majnun Mammadov announced the funding during Baku Climate Action Week, stating it represents nearly 40% of the country’s agricultural budget for climate adaptation. This investment will support modern irrigation systems across the South Caucasus, a region experiencing increasing water shortages, changing seasons, and soil degradation.
The Azerbaijani government also launched a new AI-based system, developed with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), to distribute advance subsidy payments to smallholder farmers. This digital platform prioritises farmers who manage between five and 100 hectares and adopt water-saving and soil-regenerating techniques, evaluating them based on modern farming practices, crop profitability, and ecological impact. The FAO representative in Azerbaijan, Nasar Hayat, noted that agriculture both contributes to and suffers from climate change.
Beyond irrigation and subsidies, Azerbaijan continues to pursue renewable energy projects like a subsea cable to carry electricity from Azerbaijan and Central Asia to Europe. Representatives from Turkey announced new financial mechanisms, BRIDGE and SURF, to support developing countries in structuring investment projects and accessing low-cost credit. These efforts build on commitments made at COP29, where wealthier nations pledged at least $300 billion annually by 2035 to assist developing countries with climate action.
