Young woman in Nigeria feeds rice shafts into farming equipment

Smallholder and Agri-SME Finance and Investment Network

Building an inclusive ecosystem for finance and investment in rural areas

Inclusive and sustainable rural transformation is critical to achieve the 2030 Agenda, particularly ending hunger and promoting sustainable food systems. Agricultural small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are often the engines of rural economies and are present at every step of agricultural value chains, from the farm to our plates.

Despite the vital role that agricultural SMEs play in food systems, they struggle to access finance that is tailored to their specific needs. Small-scale lenders, such as microfinance institutions, often provide too little financing, while commercial lenders often find it too risky to lend to these enterprises.

SAFIN increases the flow of capital for agricultural SMEs by fostering effective and inclusive ecosystems.

With the right investment, agri-SMEs can transform food systems, enhance small-scale farmers’ resilience to shocks, pivot their business models in response to crises, innovate and generate economic opportunities in rural and urban areas.

Agri-SMEs operate in a fragmented financial landscape, where the institutions that finance them and other actors that can help them flourish do not effectively communicate or coordinate with each other.

The Smallholder and Agri-SME Finance and Investment Network (SAFIN) builds bridges between these different players. By connecting, convening and working collectively, SAFIN fosters effective and inclusive ecosystems in which diverse institutions work in concert to increase the flow of capital for agricultural SMEs.

Visit SAFIN website