Development of guidelines for micro-finance, credit and insurance for small-scale fisheries in Asia
A majority of small-scale fishers, farmers, and rural communities in general lack access to credit, savings and insurance services, even though accessibility has been increasing over the last decades. FAO aims to address this situation in collaboration with the Asia-Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (APRACA).
 Photo of fish being sold in Equatorial Guinea (photo for illustrative purpose only). © Bernal Vilela, FAO |
To help financial service providers develop and implement tailored programmes for micro-finance, credit and insurance schemes that truly meet the needs and interests of small-scale fishers and fish workers, FAO and APRACA with partners are developing guidelines. Currently, two sets of guidelines are under way:
- Guidelines for micro-finance and credit programmes in support of small-scale fisheries in Asia
- Guidelines for increasing access of small-scale fishers to insurance services
The guidelines are intended for managers and staff of rural banks, rural credit and micro-finance institutions, NGOs involved in these subjects, insurers, ministries of finance and other stakeholders. The idea is to built on success cases from small-scale fisheries and other sectors, and also to contribute to the implementation of the SSF Guidelines.
An expert workshop with fisheries credit and insurance specialists is planned later this year to review and discuss draft guidelines. Ultimately, these new guidelines for micro-finance, credit and insurance for small-scale fisheries in Asia will be presented to and hopefully endorsed by APRACA and FAO.
For more information, please contact Raymon van Anrooy (FAO) at [email protected].