AgriConnect programme rolled out in Jamaica by World Bank and IICA to boost farmer connectivity

The World Bank Group (WBG), working alongside the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), has rolled out AgriConnect in Jamaica, a programme designed to widen rural internet access, deepen digital inclusion and bring family farmers more squarely into local markets.

Globally, the programme is targeting as many as 300 million smallholder farmers by 2030, helping them shift away from subsistence farming toward more commercially viable agricultural enterprises. Its arrival in Jamaica forms part of a broader World Bank strategy aimed at reshaping the agrifood industry across regions.

Speaking at the launch, Minister of Agriculture Floyd Green described AgriConnect as a significant opening for the country. He noted that the thinking behind the programme, with IICA's backing, fits well with Jamaica's own efforts to build an agricultural sector that is stronger, more modern and open to wider participation.

Also attending were Lilia Burunciuc, the World Bank's director for Caribbean countries, and Kent Coipel, IICA's representative in Jamaica. Both reaffirmed the partnership between the two bodies and pledged continued work to bolster agriculture across the Caribbean. Benoît Bosquet, the World Bank's director for Sustainable Development for Latin America and the Caribbean, and Diego Arias, the regional Agriculture and Food Practice Manager, were also present.

Speaking for IICA, Coipel pointed to the institute's history of partnering with small and medium-sized farmers and helping develop value chains throughout the Caribbean, with particular attention to training, export readiness and connecting producers to markets. "Strengthening the organisational capacity of rural communities is a fundamental pillar of IICA's technical cooperation," he said.

Derrick Deslandes, president of the College of Agriculture, Science and Education (CASE), and Jacqueline Sharp, who heads a family-run business in coffee production, local sales and export, outlined ways to widen farmers' access to markets and tighten the links along food value chains.

A separate session focused on how small producers can tap into new technologies and what fresh scientific advances mean for Jamaican agriculture. Taking part were World Bank specialist Winston Daes; Aura Cifuentes, director for Latin America and the Caribbean at Co-Develop; and Arturo Ramírez, technical director of Isratech Jamaica Limited, a firm offering agricultural services in areas including water management and renewable energy alternatives to fossil fuels.

IICA is among several international bodies, alongside financial institutions, private companies, foundations and knowledge partners, supporting the World Bank's rollout of AgriConnect across the Americas. The programme draws an estimated US$9 billion in annual funding worldwide, with the potential to attract a further US$5 billion in investment to strengthen innovation, financing and service networks tied to agriculture.

The initiative was developed after a panel of experts assembled by the World Bank flagged agriculture and agribusiness as one of five sectors globally with the strongest capacity to absorb young people entering the workforce.