Tonga has secured a US$5.3 million grant from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to launch a new phase of its rural development programme aimed at strengthening climate resilience and food security across the country.
The financing agreement for the Tonga Rural Innovation Project – Phase III (TRIP III) was signed last week in Rome between IFAD and Tonga. The six-year initiative will support around 35,000 people, more than one-third of Tonga’s population, between 2026 and 2031.
According to IFAD, the project will focus on helping rural communities adapt to climate shocks and natural disasters while expanding economic opportunities for farmers and young people.
“We are moving beyond local development to confront the defining challenges of our time – from climate change and eroding biodiversity to rural youth unemployment,” said Reehana Raza, IFAD Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. She said the programme aims to ensure rural communities can not only withstand future shocks but also thrive.
TRIP III builds on two earlier phases of the Tonga Rural Innovation Project. It will promote diversified crop production, climate-resilient farming practices and social inclusion, while supporting farmers to work together through cluster farming systems.
These systems allow farmers to pool land, tools and other resources to increase productivity and reduce costs. The project will also help link small-scale farmers to domestic and export markets.
Candra Samekto, IFAD Country Director for the Pacific Islands, said the programme would deepen efforts to secure Tonga’s food and nutrition security by embedding climate-resilient practices in rural communities.
The initiative will also establish an innovation facility to test new agricultural solutions, including mechanisation services, greenhouse production, drip irrigation systems and digital tools.
IFAD said domestic and international partners will contribute an additional US$10.16 million to the project, bringing the total investment to more than US$15 million.
Tonga’s agriculture sector remains highly vulnerable to climate change and disasters, including the 2022 Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai eruption which severely disrupted the economy. Officials say strengthening rural livelihoods will be critical to improving long-term resilience.
