World Bank-hosted fund announces $38 million in grants to support smallholder farmers in Africa, Asia and the Americas

New grant financing from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program Fund supports 16 producer organization-led projects across 27 low-income countries

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, April 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Smallholder farmers in low-income countries across Africa, Asia, and the Americas will benefit from $38.75 million in new grant funding aimed at strengthening food security, improving farmer incomes, and building resilience to climate and economic shocks.

The funding was announced by the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), a multilateral financing and partnership platform that supports beneficiary-led investments to improve food and nutrition security in low-income countries. Since 2010, GAFSP has mobilized more than USD $2.44 billion in donor contributions, providing financial and technical support to agri-food sector projects in 55 low-income countries.

The latest allocation by GAFSP places a strong emphasis on strengthening the capacities and financial sustainability of producer organizations, while scaling up tested innovations for smallholder agriculture. It also recognizes the role of women farmers, who are central to agricultural production yet often face barriers to land, finance, and markets.

In recognition of the International Year of the Woman Farmer, the GAFSP-funded projects aim to expand opportunities for women across agricultural value chains while strengthening their leadership within producer organizations. For the first time, regional producer organizations were also able to compete for GAFSP funding to further facilitate knowledge sharing and learning across countries and value chains.

The new allocation will support 16 producer organization-led projects — 14 national and two regional projects — and is expected to directly benefit an estimated 175,000 smallholder farmers through investments that strengthen farmer institutions. This will improve the capacity of farmer organizations and, ultimately, the ability of smallholder farmers to increase income, improve food and nutrition security, and strengthen resilience to shocks including those driven by climate change, economic volatility, and fragility.

“Producer organizations unite the many millions of people working across the agrifood sector to ensure small producers can seize new economic opportunities. They help smallholder farmers pool their harvests to negotiate better prices and they provide essential resources for their members,” said Shobha Shetty, GAFSP Program Head. “Investing in these organizations will have a compound impact on farmers' livelihoods, resilience and prospects for the future.”

The GAFSP producer organization-led financing window offers solutions to some of the structural barriers that smallholder farmers often face when accessing finance, markets, and technical support. By channeling resources through farmer-led cooperatives, unions, and producer networks, GAFSP strengthens local institutions that can aggregate production, deliver support services, and represent farmers’ interests in value chains and policy dialogue.

Across Africa, Asia, and the Americas, the newly funded projects will support producer organizations to strengthen their capacity and governance while expanding services for their members and improving value chain competitiveness.

In Benin, a $2.5 million grant for the National Platform of Farmers' and Agricultural Producers' Organizations will boost opportunities for 11,000 young people and women in vegetable and poultry value chains over four years. The project aims to indirectly benefit 66,000 more people, with activities including agro-ecology promotion, improving women's land tenure and finance access, and strengthening 352 producer cooperatives.

Sri Lanka's Federation of Thrift and Credit Cooperative Societies will receive a $2.5 million grant to improve climate resilience and market access for 10,000 smallholder farming families across four climate-vulnerable districts: Ratnapura, Kegalle, Kurunegala, and Puttalam. The four-year project, working through 200 grassroots cooperatives, will train farmers, including 7,500 women and 1,500 youth, in climate-smart agriculture, improve financial and insurance services, strengthen market linkages, and support 50 cooperative agribusiness ventures through a business incubator.

In Haiti, the Union of Cocoa Cooperatives of the North will receive a $2.49 million grant to strengthen livelihoods and climate resilience for small-scale cocoa producers. The four-year project will train 2,000 farmers in climate-resilient cocoa agroforestry, regenerate 500 hectares, improve cooperative governance, expand women and youth leadership, and invest in post-harvest infrastructure and certification for higher-value market access.

"As a former minister of agriculture, I know first-hand the impact that investments in producer organizations can have not only on smallholder farmers but also on national food security," said Agnes Kalibata, co-chair of the GAFSP Steering Committee. "At a time when development finance for agriculture is under pressure globally, these GAFSP grants will strengthen the institutions that allow smallholders to invest, innovate, and build resilience in the face of multiple shocks."

Several projects will support producer organizations in West and Central Africa, where climate shocks, conflict, and economic volatility continue to strain food systems, with 55 million people projected to face crisis-level food insecurity during the June to August 2026 lean season. Strengthening farmer cooperatives and market access will help communities rebuild livelihoods and improve food security in some of the regions most affected by hunger.

Harvey Presence
Marchmont Communications
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