This week, AFII welcomed President Alvaro Lario  and Country Director Candra Samekto from the International Fund for Agricultural Development to the Australian National University to explore how Australia can support IFAD’s Regional Strategic Opportunities Program in the Pacific.

IFAD has been building a program of work across the Pacific by coordinating and consolidating co-investments from a range of donors. They discussed the significant opportunity to link Australia’s expertise in the agrifood system with the development needs of the Pacific.

Three key takeaways from the session:
1.    Research has the most impact when it is built with communities and tied to on the ground delivery. Long term datasets, local knowledge, and co-design help move solutions from theory into practice.
2.    Australian institutions can play a convening and capability role. We can help bring together interdisciplinary expertise to shape projects that reflect Pacific priorities and scale across islands, not just within one country.
3.    Food systems research has to take a cross-disciplinary approach. It is not only about production, but also nutrition, market access, logistics, trade and climate adaptation. The Pacific context demands integrated approaches that strengthen livelihoods as well as food security.

It was a valuable discussion that highlighted how collaboration between IFAD and Australia can deliver real impact for rural communities in the Pacific.