25/06/2026
🏆 ifarmer wins the Innovation for Development Award!
In a historic first, ifarmer has become the first startup of Bangladesh to receive the 'Innovation for Development Award' at the 2026 OPEC Fund Development Forum. Held at Vienna's historic Hofburg Palace, on the occasion of OPEC Fund's 50th anniversary, this recognition for ifarmer is a milestone that acknowledges the innovation in shaping sustainable development.
Through an integrated digital platform, ifarmer connects smallholder farmers to essential resources such as finance, agricultural inputs, advisory services, weather alerts, and markets linkeage. This comprehensive approach has empowered over 300,000 farmers and brought hundreds of thousands of tons of produce to market, proving how technology can strengthen food systems and improve rural livelihoods.
The OPEC Fund for International Development is a collective development agency that provides financial assistance exclusively to developing non-OPEC countries, fostering global solidarity and South-South cooperation. Its Annual Award for Development recognizes visionary organizations driving real change on the ground. We are also honored to share the stage with this year's other winners, each making remarkable contributions in their respective development sectors: Plan International España (Transformational Impact Award) and AkoFresh Ghana (Youth Entrepreneurship Award).
For ifarmer, this is more than an achievement, it is a global endorsement of Bangladesh's AgTech innovation and its potential to strengthen food systems worldwide. As the only Bangladeshi team represented at the forum, this achievement puts the country's innovation on the world stage, opening doors to new partnerships, visibility, and opportunities for scaling impact. Congratulations to the entire ifarmer team for this well-deserved honor!
US$800,000 for development innovators changing lives. 🏆
In our Golden Jubilee year, we have recognized three organizations advancing renewable energy, food security and climate resilience through the 2026 Annual Award for Development.
Presented at the , the awards support solutions that are creating economic opportunities and delivering impact across developing countries.
▪️ The US$450,000 Transformational Impact Award was presented to Plan International España, an initiative supporting women in the Sahel through renewable energy, skills training and access to financing.
▪️ The US$250,000 Innovation for Development Award was presented to iFarmer.asia for connecting smallholder farmers in Bangladesh to finance, agricultural inputs, advisory services, weather alerts and markets through an integrated platform.
▪️ The US$100,000 Youth Entrepreneurship Award was presented to AkoFresh, which helps rural farmers reduce post-harvest losses, improve incomes and strengthen food security through solar-powered cold storage, refrigerated transport, farmer training and market links.
“Development progress depends not only on finance, but on people with the vision and determination to turn ideas into practical solutions. These three winners demonstrate how local leadership and innovation can deliver real impact for communities and help address some of the world’s most pressing development challenges. We are proud to support their work,” said our President Dr. Abdulhamid Alkhalifa. 🤝
For more information: bit.ly/3SiG0g0