GOROKA/ROME, 05 MARCH 2026 (IFAD)— The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is proud to co-finance the Government of Papua New Guinea’s AgriConnect Action Plan, launched with the World Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and other like-minded partners in Goroka Wednesday. AgriConnect is a global initiative aimed at transforming small-scale farming into an engine of sustainable growth, jobs, and food security. Papua New Guinea’s AgriConnect has been designed to transform PNG’s agri-food system by building a supportive ecosystem that puts agribusinesses at the centre of job creation and links farmers and entrepreneurs to domestic and global food value chains, changing the way small- scale farmers produce and market crops. “IFAD has extensive experience in connecting small-scale farmers to markets and strengthening food value chains that lead to increased yields and higher incomes. We value our partnership with the World Bank Group to support these goals and together broaden and deepen the impact of our two institutions,” said Reehana Raza, IFAD Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific during the launch. At the AgriConnect initiative announcement in October 2025, IFAD President Alvaro Lario pledged to reach at least 70 million small-scale farmers and significantly transform their lives by increasing their incomes, productive capacity and market access by 2030. As part of the initiative, IFAD and the World Bank will co‐finance the Papua New Guinea Agriculture Commercialisation and Diversification Phase 2 (PACD‐2) project. PACD-2 will mark the first AgriConnect collaboration between IFAD and the World Bank in the Asia-Pacific region. AgriConnect initiative directly advances PNG’s goal to create 1 million rural jobs by 2033, outlined in the National Agriculture Sector Plan (NASP) 2024–2033. It will do so by addressing factors constraining private sector investments, such as: (i) digital agricultural technologies to connect farmers with service providers and buyers; (ii) enhanced aggregation models between small-scale farmers and agribusinesses; (iii) de- risking financial instruments; and (iv) policy and regulatory enhancements to reduce the cost of doing business. “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,” said Jing Pacturan, IFAD Country Director, PNG. “IFAD’s cofinancing for PACD-2 will scale up the ongoing operations and benefit more farmers and create more jobs in support of the government’s National Agriculture Sector Plan.” ….PACNEWS