The World Bank is proposing to introduce its AgriConnect initiative in Solomon Islands to sustain the gains of the Solomon Islands Agriculture Rural Transformation (SIART) Project and strengthen agricultural value chains through greater private sector participation after the project concludes later this year.
The proposal was presented by World Bank Senior Agriculture Specialist and Task Team Leader Abimbola Adubi during the bank's seventh implementation support mission to Honiara from July 13 to 17. The mission included Agriculture and Livestock Minister Franklyn Derek Wasi, Permanent Secretary Samson Viulu, officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, the Ministry of National Planning and Development Coordination, the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, and representatives from the World Bank's Honiara office.
Adubi said AgriConnect would help ensure the long-term sustainability of the SIART Project by strengthening commercial agriculture, improving productivity and attracting private sector investment.
"In terms of sustainability and next steps, this is where the element of AgriConnect becomes very important," Adubi said.
AgriConnect is a World Bank Group initiative that seeks to help smallholder farmers transition from subsistence to commercial agriculture by connecting governments, agribusinesses, financial institutions, development partners and farmers to unlock opportunities across agricultural value chains, create jobs and improve food security.
The proposal follows the World Bank's assessment that the SIART Project has made significant progress in boosting agricultural production and building resilient rural livelihoods across Guadalcanal, Malaita and Makira/Ulawa provinces.
Implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and funded by the World Bank, SIART is scheduled to conclude on Dec. 31, 2026.
During the implementation support mission, the World Bank reviewed progress under the project's agribusiness, infrastructure and institutional capacity-building components, while also assessing procurement, financial management, environmental and social safeguards, and preparations for project closure.
The mission also reviewed data collection systems and the rollout of the project's management information system before presenting its findings to the Solomon Islands government.
Agriculture Minister Franklyn Derek Wasi said the project has already left a lasting impact on the country's agricultural sector.
"It is our strong view that the World Bank-funded SIART Project has left a positive legacy in the agricultural development of Solomon Islands," Wasi said.
The minister said the country must continue building on SIART's achievements by strengthening Agribusiness Producer Organizations (ABPOs), improving access to finance and investing in value-adding facilities, post-harvest storage, transport infrastructure and farmer-market networks.
To date, SIART has established and supported 96 Agribusiness Producer Organizations, including 45 in Malaita Province, 32 in Guadalcanal Province and 19 in Makira/Ulawa Province, backed by more than SBD35 million in grant funding.
The project has also supported the construction of modern agriculture office buildings in Auki and Kirakira, the renovation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock's research headquarters, slaughter facility and piggery shelter at King George, and the detailed design of the ministry's proposed Research Centre of Excellence at Tenaru.
Beyond infrastructure, SIART has recruited and trained more than 40 young professionals as junior extension officers to support rural farmers, strengthen provincial agriculture offices and build long-term agribusiness capacity.
The project has also provided grants, agricultural equipment and technical training to farmers and agribusinesses to help them transition from subsistence farming to commercially viable enterprises.
World Bank representatives said discussions are continuing on how to sustain the project's achievements beyond its completion, with AgriConnect viewed as a mechanism for attracting private sector investment and strengthening agricultural value chains.
"We won't allow the good work done by SIART to stop when the project ends. We want to find a way of sustaining it and bring in private sector attention in line with the AgriConnect program," Adubi said.
SIART Project Manager William Okekini said the project remains on track to achieve its development objectives before its scheduled closure at the end of the year.
The World Bank plans to hold a workshop with government agencies, private sector representatives and agricultural value chain stakeholders to explore how AgriConnect can be implemented in Solomon Islands to create jobs, improve productivity and support long-term growth in the agriculture sector.
