The Central American Dry Corridor and the arid zones of the Dominican Republic are among the world's most vulnerable tropical regions to the impacts of climate change. Climate projections for the region indicate temperatures will increase and mean annual rainfall will decrease. These changes will be compounded by further changes in the El Niño-La Niña cycle, resulting in prolonged droughts and more frequent and extreme rainfall events across the region. As the Dry Corridor area constitutes a significant portion of Central America’s population and productive life, this will have severe consequences for agriculture and food security in the region.

The programme (implemented with the Central American Bank for Economic Integration) aims to strengthen the adaptive capacity and climate resilience of vulnerable, rural communities, including farmers and entrepreneurs, in the Dry Corridor region of Central America (Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama) and in the arid zones of the Dominican Republic. Through financing and technical assistance, the programme will encourage private sector participation and create an enabling environment for the investment and uptake of large-scale ecosystem-based adaptation and water/energy-efficient technologies.