TWENTY-NINE new climate change grants were recently awarded to Jamaicans as part of the Special Climate Change Adaptation Fund (SCCAF) administered by the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica (EFJ).

They bring to 111 the number of projects that have been granted through the SCCAF since it started through a partnership involving the EFJ and the Adaptation Programme and Financing Mechanism (AP&FM) of the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience.

Funding for the SCCAF comes through the AP&FM, which is funded by the Inter-American Development Bank and the Government of Jamaica.

The 29 recently awarded grants cover projects on rainwater harvesting ponds, solar-powered irrigation systems and climate-friendly crop cultivation.

The AP&FM Project, which forms a part of the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience in Jamaica, works to enhance Jamaica's readiness for climate change.

"It supports the integration of climate change issues into development planning by government agencies. It also provides funds for climate change adaptation work in small and medium businesses as well as communities islandwide," according to information from the project's website.