Amplifying Grassroots Voices in Climate Finance Advocacy
By Kondwani Thindwa - Panos Institute, Zambia
Climate finance has become a crucial pillar in the global fight against climate change. From mitigation projects to adaptation efforts, financial flows are critical in determining who gets supported, how resilience is built, and which communities can thrive amid climate shocks. However, one key stakeholder group often remains marginalised in these discussions: grassroots communities.
Despite being on the frontlines of climate impacts, their voices are seldom heard in climate finance decision-making. Amplifying these voices is a matter of justice and is essential for effective and inclusive climate action.
Grassroots communities are often the first responders to climate challenges, especially in the Global South. They manage local ecosystems, practice sustainable agriculture, and implement traditional knowledge systems that contribute significantly to climate adaptation and mitigation. Yet, these contributions are rarely recognised or financially supported. In many cases, international climate finance mechanisms such as the Green Climate Fund or Adaptation Fund remain inaccessible to community-based organisations and structures due to complex application procedures, lack of intermediary support, and stringent reporting requirements.
“Climate change disproportionately affects the most vulnerable communities, despite them contributing the least to greenhouse gas emissions… Equity and fairness must be at the center of climate finance discussions. We must ensure that resources reach the grassroots, empowering small-scale farmers, fishers, and women-led initiatives to be part of the climate solution.” – Geoffrey Jakop, Siavonga DC.
In a decisive move to bridge the knowledge gap in climate finance among grassroots communities, Panos Institute Southern Africa (PSAf) hosted an Information Session on Climate Finance in Siavonga District. The event brought together community members, civil society representatives, local authorities, and climate activists to explore opportunities and challenges within climate financing, carbon markets, and the principles of climate justice. The session was part of PSAf’s broader mission to ensure that local communities understand climate financial mechanisms and meaningfully engage in accessing and benefiting from them.
Purpose and Objectives
The primary aim of the information session was to equip participants with essential knowledge of the climate finance landscape, with a strong emphasis on inclusivity and equity. The session set out to enhance understanding of climate finance mechanisms, including international and national climate funds, introduce the concept of carbon markets and explore how communities can participate in and benefit from carbon credit initiatives. It also aimed to highlight the importance of climate justice, advocating for fair and equitable access to climate finance resources and fostering dialogue among stakeholders on how to leverage climate finance to build climate resilience at the community level.
Delving into Climate Finance
Participants were introduced to climate finance architecture, spanning sources such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF) https://www.greenclimate.fund/, Adaptation Fund https://www.adaptation-fund.org/, and local government climate financing structures. Facilitators from the Forestry Department, Ministry of Agriculture and other climate finance experts unpacked the often-complex terminology surrounding climate finance, simplifying it into relatable, actionable knowledge for community members.
Understanding Carbon Markets and Trading
A key highlight of the session was the discussion on carbon markets. Community members learned how carbon trading operates and how their local conservation efforts, such as reforestation, sustainable agriculture, and community forestry, could potentially be monetised through carbon credits. Participants expressed interest and concern, especially around ownership rights, benefit-sharing, and the risk of exploitation.
“While significant global funds are available to mitigate and adapt to climate change as we have learned today, accessibility remains a major barrier for grassroots communities due to limited information, technical capacity, and bureaucratic hurdles…through this training, we will be equipped to best navigate through them” – Edison Munsanje.
Climate Justice: A Call for Equity
Siavonga, situated along the northern shores of Lake Kariba, has faced increasing climate-related shocks over the years, including erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, and declining fish stocks. These impacts have disproportionately affected informal workers and subsistence farmers, who comprise most of the district’s population. During the engagement, community members highlighted the barriers they face in accessing climate funds and some of the avenues to explore to scale up accessibility in their communities.
Discussions on climate justice focused on the unequal burdens faced by vulnerable communities that contribute least to global emissions yet suffer the most from climate impacts. The session underscored that climate finance must be grounded in justice, prioritising historically marginalised communities and ensuring that funding mechanisms do not deepen existing inequalities.
Community representatives shared personal stories of climate-related losses, dried-up water sources, and erratic rainfall. They called for systems that centre their voices and lived experiences in climate decision-making.
Building Resilience Through Dialogue
The event created a vital platform for multi-stakeholder dialogue. Local community members reaffirmed their commitment to collaborating with civil society and the government to ensure that climate financing reaches the grassroots.
“As the world grapples with intensifying climate crises, the knowledge we have acquired here, our experiences, and leadership of grassroots communities must be brought to the center to scale up accessibility…Equitable climate finance is only possible when it is guided by those who live the reality of climate change every day.” – Headman Nelson Chidakwa, Bakasa area.
The commitments made in Siavonga strongly call on government actors, donors, and financial intermediaries to decentralise climate finance mechanisms and make them more inclusive of community-led priorities.
“Climate finance must trickle down to the grassroots if it is to be transformative,” said Headman Aaron Moya, a traditional leader in attendance. “We are not just beneficiaries; we are now actors and knowledge holders.”
In a time of global urgency, the call for equity from Siavonga reflects a powerful truth, that climate justice begins with those on the frontlines. Their stories, solutions, and stewardship must be central to every climate finance conversation.
“Climate finance is not just about funding—it’s about justice, empowerment, and ensuring no community is left behind. Through this session, we aim to make climate finance accessible, actionable, and truly transformative for the people who need it most.” – Nervious Siantombo, Programmes Manager, PSAf
Discover more about the work of Panos Institute Southern Africa (PSAf) and how you can support community-led climate action: www.panos.org.zm
