Suriname’s Agrifood Systems Transformation Programme wins UN Award for elevating indigenous pineapple value chain

New York. The Agrifood Systems Transformation Accelerator (ASTA) Programme in Suriname has been awarded the 2025 Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Partnership Award in the Social category. The initiative is recognized for transforming traditional pineapple production into an inclusive, sustainable, and competitive value chain. Launched in 2022 with a catalytic grant from the UN Joint SDG Fund and an additional grant from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the programme is implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). 

This prestigious award highlights ASTA’s commitment to strengthening agrifood systems in SIDS by empowering indigenous communities, strengthening environmental stewardship, promoting inclusive economic growth, and building resilience through innovative agricultural practices. The initiative embodies the principles of collaboration, innovation, and impact that drive the international roadmap adopted in 2024 to accelerate sustainable development and resilience in small island states. 

The Awards Ceremony took place during the 2025 Global Multi-Stakeholder SIDS Partnership Dialogue on 12 December 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (New York time) at United Nations Headquarters, New York and was webcast live on UN WebTV. 

“The ASTA program is all about designing and implementing integrated solutions for agrifood systems transformation based on partnerships, innovation and blended finance. In Suriname, under ASTA, the traditional knowledge and resources of the indigenous communities are combined with a range of innovations such as a digital platform, bio-factories, an innovation Hub, contract farming and a collateral facility, to unlock the vast potential for SDG impacts in ways that will continue to develop and grow after the project ends. It showcases our leadership in taking a systems approach at the value chain level.” David Neven, FAO Senior Economist and Lead Technical Officer of the project. 

The award was received on behalf of the programme by Máximo Torero Cullen, FAO Chief Economist, who highlighted the strength of joint UN action: “This recognition reflects the strength of the joint UN effort driving this initiative. FAO and UNIDO, as co-leads of the Agrifood Systems Transformation Accelerator, partnering with ILO and UNFPA, were supported through the UN Joint SDG Fund’s catalytic financing mechanism and carried out the programme in continuous collaboration with the Government of Suriname and its national institutions.”

About the Agrifood Systems Transformation Accelerator (ASTA) Programme 

ASTA is a global programme, co-led by FAO and UNIDO, that assists countries in transforming their agrifood systems by facilitating innovative partnerships and SDG-compliant investments into high-potential value chains that connect producers to processing and added value, to end markets. ASTA designs and implements catalytic systems-based projects at the interface between public, private, and civil society sectors.  

In Suriname, the ASTA partnership also includes ILO and UNFPA and works to upgrade the pineapple value chain and strengthen rural livelihoods by addressing the structural constraints that limit small-scale and Indigenous farmers’ participation in formal markets. The programme targets challenges such as restricted access to finance, weak market linkages, limited coordination among producers, and low local knowledge of modern climate-smart and organic certified practices. 

To overcome these barriers, ASTA is introducing more coordinated production models, strengthening connections between farmers, buyers, and service providers, and supporting the development of financing mechanisms that allow producers to access credit even without traditional collateral. The programme also promotes the use of a local-language digital app that provides farmers with production guidance, climate-risk tools, and traceability functions, while generating farm-level data that financial institutions can use for due diligence. 

FAO provides the technical backbone of the initiative, offering training, setting up systems for data-driven production and monitoring, and ensuring that innovations in production, finance, and digital tools reinforce a more competitive, climate-resilient, and inclusive pineapple sector. 

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