On 10 April 2026, the UN Adaptation Fund Board approved a USD 30 million, five year regional programme for three Southern African countries: Eswatini, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The programme is called “Locally Led Adaptation in Southern Africa” (LLASA) and will be implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with national governments and local civil society organisations.

The LLASA programme is designed to shift adaptation funding from government or NGO designed top down projects to community driven initiatives. At least 60% of the funds (USD 18 million) will be disbursed directly as small grants (USD 5,000 to USD 50,000) to villages, farmer cooperatives and women’s groups, based on their own project proposals. The remaining 40% will support capacity building, monitoring, and a knowledge sharing platform.

Eligible activities include: drought resistant crop trials (sorghum, millet, cowpea), small scale water harvesting (sand dams, rock catchments, sunken greenhouses), flood resilient housing (raised platforms, drainage channels), nature based solutions (mangrove restoration in coastal Mozambique – though Mozambique is not in the initial three countries, it may join in year 2), and livestock feed banks for pastoralist communities.

A unique feature is that at least 50% of the grant resources must go to organisations or groups that are led by women, youth or indigenous people. Each grant recipient must also contribute a minimum of 5% (in cash, labour or materials) to ensure ownership. The programme includes a grievance mechanism where any community member can raise a complaint about fund mismanagement or environmental harm through a toll free hotline.

The first call for proposals will be issued in August 2026, with an expected 500 600 community groups receiving grants. The LLASA programme aims to reach about 300,000 vulnerable people directly, and an additional 700,000 indirectly through knowledge diffusion. Eswatini’s Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs stated: “Local people know best what works in their environment. This programme gives them the resources, not just the advice.”