Value Chain Development

Value chains, which are comprised of financial service providers, buyers, input providers, producer organizations, and individual farmers, are often classfied as tight (i.e., well organized) or loose (i.e., poorly organized). Industry actors (e.g., foundations, governments, private investors) seek to strengthen the value chain to provide better market linkages and improve the resiliance of rural populations.

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Digital Financial Services

Evidence on Impact

Food Security

Providing Financial Solutions

Investing in smallholder farming: Six outgrower schemes that are getting it right

Report: In Africa, where agricultural production remains far below potential, companies are working with smallholder farmers to raise crop yields, open up new market opportunities, and strengthen rural economies. In a new case study, AgDevCo’s Smallholder Development Unit features six examples of outgrower schemes that are delivering results.

Measuring the performance of alternative delivery channels

Report: The MIX – with support from The MasterCard Foundation, UNCDF, and IFC – has published a new report on alternative delivery channels and their impact. The research from MIX also helped support the insights explored in The MasterCard Foundation's report on lessons learned from alternative delivery channels, which can be viewed here.

Onward and upward: Using a systems approach to unlock smallholder finance potential

Community: A new blog series, jointly authored by the Initiative for Smallholder Finance and the Learning Lab will share monthly sector trends in smallholder finance and next steps forward for FSPs, donors, and investors. The Pulse is rooted in key findings and recommendations highlighted in the ISF's and Lab's latest state of the sector report, Inflection Point.

Service delivery models: Insights for continuous improvement and farm impact

Report: Smallholder farmers are in need of inputs such as fertilizers, improved seeds and planting material, and access to finance, delivered in a stable and cost efficient system. Insights from a new report, published by IDH, the Sustainable Trade Initiative, enable service providers to create these cost-effective and scalable solutions, empowering smallholders to grow and sustain their businesses.

Using agri-finance to boost staples-led agriculture transformation

Report: In a market analysis for AGRA, Dalberg sheds light on the financial sector’s service of smallholders in Kenya, Tanzania, and Ghana, and identifies opportunities for progressive partnerships between formal and non-formal financial service providers, including value chain actors. The analysis also looks at the role of ICT solutions to increase impact. AGRA is a Learning Lab partner, committed to sharing knowledge that will build the industry.

Access to Finance Rwanda: Financial inclusion Rwanda 2016

Report: AFR explores FinScope's 2016 survey in their latest report on financial inclusion in Rwanda.

Key success factors for multinationals including smallholders in tight value chains

Analysis: Recently, an increasing number of food and agribusiness multinational enterprises (F&A MNEs) are recognizing the economic potential of smallholder inclusion in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The 2016 report, "Critical Success Factors for Smallholder Inclusion in High Value-Adding Supply Chains by F&A MNEs", carefully outlines key opportunities to engage smallholders in tight global value chains.

Strengthening farmer resilience through complementary solutions

Report: Root Capital's December issue brief, Investing in Resilience: A Shared Value Approach to Agricultural Extension, focuses on scaling climate-smart practices through agricultural extension services.

Summary of 2015 FGDA conference: Improving financial inclusion of smallholder farmers

Report: The 2015 international FGDA conference, "Improving Financial Inclusion of Smallholder Farmers”, brought together industry experts from MFIs and agricultural finance providers to exchange ideas and share best practices to close the financing gap for smallholder farmers.

Value chain financing: How agro-enterprises can serve as alternate aggregation points for delivering financial services to smallholder farmers

Analysis: The tenth briefing note in a series from the Initiative for Smallholder Finance explores three channels through which value chain financing models can be delivered and identifies how these models can group “enablers” to best serve smallholders.

Financing smallholder farmers to increase incomes and transform lives in rural communities

Report: Opportunity International describes its rationale and model for financing smallholder farmers, incorporate lessons from its experience as a pioneer in the field.

Absorption capacity of SMEs for term lending facility in the three Northern Regions of Ghana

Community: A technical survey investigates factors inhibiting the absorption capacity of small and medium enterprises in Ghana.