The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has joined the Government of Papua New Guinea and multilateral partners in launching the AgriConnect Project, an initiative aimed at transforming the country’s agri-food sector and strengthening rural livelihoods.
The project, unveiled in Goroka on 3 March, is co-financed by IFAD alongside the World Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and other development partners. It seeks to reposition small-scale farming as a driver of sustainable economic growth, employment and food security.
AgriConnect is designed to build a supportive ecosystem centred on agribusiness development, linking farmers and entrepreneurs to both domestic and global food value chains. The initiative aims to improve how smallholders produce, aggregate and market crops, while expanding access to markets.
Reehana Raza, IFAD regional director for Asia and the Pacific, said the institution brings extensive experience in connecting small-scale farmers to markets and strengthening food value chains.
“We value our partnership with the World Bank Group to support these goals and together broaden and deepen the impact of our two institutions,” Raza said during the launch.
The programme forms part of a broader global AgriConnect initiative, under which IFAD President Alvaro Lario has pledged to reach at least 70 million small-scale farmers by 2030 by improving incomes, productivity and market access.
In Papua New Guinea, AgriConnect will include co-financing for the Agriculture Commercialisation and Diversification Phase 2 (PACD-2) project, marking the first collaboration between IFAD and the World Bank under the initiative in the Asia-Pacific region.
The project aligns with the government’s National Agriculture Sector Plan 2024–2033, which targets the creation of one million rural jobs by 2033. It will focus on addressing barriers to private sector investment, including limited access to digital agricultural technologies, weak aggregation systems, financing constraints and regulatory inefficiencies.
Jing Pacturan, IFAD country director for Papua New Guinea, said the organisation’s investments in rural infrastructure and services aim to integrate farmers more effectively into the broader economy.
“In PNG, IFAD supports small-scale farmers through investments in rural feeder roads and improved agricultural extension services, including access to finance, to enable them to connect to markets and become active participants in a thriving food economy,” Pacturan said.
She added that IFAD’s co-financing for PACD-2 would scale up ongoing programmes, benefiting more farmers while supporting job creation in line with national targets.
Since 2019, IFAD has supported agricultural development in Papua New Guinea through initiatives such as the $46.8 million Market for Village Farmers project, which promotes the production of fresh food for both rural and urban markets. The project has drawn funding from IFAD, the national government, provincial and district authorities, as well as private sector participants and financial institutions. Additional financing of $18 million was approved in December 2025.
IFAD, a specialised international financial institution focused on rural transformation, currently has nearly $23 billion invested in projects worldwide aimed at strengthening food systems, creating jobs and fostering resilient rural economies.
