In brief
On 31 October, Sri Lanka inaugurated the AgriConnect programme, backed by $665 million from the World Bank Group and IFAD. The initiative aims to modernise the agricultural sector, connect 900,000 farmers to value chains, enhance climate resilience, and attract up to $170 million of private investment over five years. By turning its 15 % GDP‑contributing sector into a market‑oriented, sustainable industry, Sri Lanka seeks to strengthen livelihoods and economic growth.
On Friday, 31 October, Colombo formally launched the Sri Lanka AgriConnect programme, a $665 million package from the World Bank Group and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) designed to transform the country’s agriculture into a climate‑resilient, market‑oriented industry.
Scope and Targets
The initiative seeks to bring 900,000 farmers into tighter connections with agricultural value chains by 2030, a goal that will rely heavily on digital technologies and other modernisation measures. AgriConnect will focus on smallholder growers across the island, supporting them to adopt climate‑smart practices, improve productivity, and gain better access to markets. Sri Lanka’s agriculture and food sector already accounts for roughly 15 % of the nation’s gross domestic product, 30 % of its merchandise exports, and about one‑third of total employment, the programme’s launch team noted.
Officials highlighted that modernising the sector is essential for meeting the country’s climate‑adaptation commitments, particularly as monsoon cycles and sea‑level rise increasingly threaten rural livelihoods. By integrating farmers into digital platforms and supply‑chain networks, the programme intends to reduce post‑harvest losses, improve price transparency, and lower the cost of inputs.
Funding, Partners, and Private‑Sector Magnetism
The World Bank Group committed $550 million, while IFAD pledged $115 million to cover the programme’s core budget. In addition, the joint spokespersons at the launch promised that AgriConnect would attract up to $170 million of complementary private‑sector investment over the next five years, thereby amplifying the programme’s impact and ensuring long‑term sustainability.
World Bank Group staff explained that the investment will cover a range of activities, from training smallholder farmers in climate‑adapted techniques to deploying mobile apps that track weather, soil moisture, and market prices. IFAD representatives underscored the importance of aligning the programme with global food‑security goals, emphasizing that the initiative’s design includes support for gender equality and youth participation in agriculture.
Private companies have already begun to express interest. While no firm names were disclosed at the launch, the prospect of a 900‑k farmer base connected through a unified digital ecosystem is expected to spur investment in agri‑tech startups, agro‑processing units, and logistics providers across the country.
Potential Impact and Future Outlook
By 2030, Sri Lanka hopes so‑called “Agri‑Connect” will cement a new model of climate‑smart, value‑chain‑oriented agriculture that can serve as a blueprint for other South Asian nations. The programme’s designers forecast that modernisation will boost farmer incomes, increase crop yields, and reduce the environmental footprint of livestock and crop production through efficient resource use.
Key performance metrics will include the number of farmers who adopt precision‑agriculture tools, the volume of produce routed through digital marketplaces, and the amount of private capital mobilised in agribusiness ventures. While the programme’s ambitious timeline may present challenges—such as infrastructural bottlenecks in rural telecommunications—stakeholders argue that the immediate economic benefits justifying the spending are clear.
Officials also stressed that the programme aligns with Sri Lanka’s National Climate Change Action Plan, which calls for greener production methods and lower greenhouse‑gas emissions from the agricultural sector. Integrating climate resilience into every step of the value chain—from seed to sale—can, they say, help safeguard livelihoods amid the country’s changing climate realities.
As the country embarks on this large‑scale transformation, the world will be watching how digitalisation, cross‑sector partnerships, and private investment converge to build a more resilient food system. The Hope is that Sri Lanka’s AgriConnect will not only modernise its own farms but also provide a replicable framework for climate‑smart agriculture globally.
