Improving access to agricultural finance in rural areas

Context

Agriculture plays an important role in economic development in most African countries. However, small rural businesses are hardly market-oriented and integrated into the monetary economy. They often have no access to adequate financial services, such as loans for certain value chains. These circumstances limit investments in agricultural production, processing and marketing.

Objective

Agricultural and agri-based enterprises in rural areas have improved access to suitable financial services.

Approach

To provide farmers and agri-based enterprises with access to suitable financial services, the project works jointly with local financial institutions and agricultural businesses. It pursues the following measures:

• Stakeholders on both sides receive further training in areas such as financial education, value chain financing, business model analysis and investments.
• Financial services from the formal financial sector, such as investment loans, are tailored to the needs of agricultural and agri-based business owners in rural areas. These services are integrated into the portfolios of financial institutions and thus permanently available to agricultural stakeholders.
• To better protect borrowers from the risks of loan-based investments, the project promotes the combination of financial and (agricultural) insurance products.
• The project particularly supports enterprises led by women and young people to enhance their economic and social participation.

At the same time, the project is increasingly prioritising digital applications such as mobile payments as well as agroecological transformation and the development of corresponding financial products.

Last update: June 2023