Financial Services for greater inclusion and resilience in the Agriculture Sector

FAO participated in the World Cocoa Foundation Partnership Meeting on pathways to financial inclusion in agriculture. The discussion revolved around how different financial services models may affect farmers based on the latest available evidence, and how financial services can contribute positively to investment, resilience building, reduction of inequalities and economic growth.

Agriculture as a sector is at the heart of many of the transformative processes that are necessary for facing the tremendous challenges that lie ahead, such as feeding a growing world population while preserving the environment and promoting equitable growth processes, at all levels. Yet, despite recent progress, the sector remains under-served by finance and suffers from under-investment. In most developing countries, smallholder farmers who represent the largest segment of the farming sector find it hard to access appropriately structured financial services that are aligned to their needs.

FAO works with multiple stakeholders to address critical vulnerabilities at different levels. For more information on FAO’s work in rural and agricultural finance, see: Policy brief for COVID-19 crisis and support for agrifood, Agricultural Value Chain Finance Innovations and Lessons: Case Studies in Africa and Deconstructing the gender gap in rural financial inclusion.