The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on Friday approved a 4.4 million US dollar grant to help Honduras cope with climate change. The grant is expected to benefit some 7,000 rural Hondurans by financing small-scale irrigation projects to combat severe drought and other extreme weather conditions. It will also finance other projects proposed by the largely Afro-Honduran communities, including renewable energy and risk prevention infrastructure projects. According to the IDB, Honduras is considered the third country most affected by extreme weather such as rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and rising sea levels. The irrigation projects are expected to boost agricultural output by seven percent. Under the program, 100 community leaders and 900 students will receive training on how to reduce the effects of climate change in their localities. The grant is funded by the IDB's Nordic Development Fund, established by Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland in 1989 to finance development aid.