IESC Awarded New USAID Farmer-to-Farmer Access to Finance Program in Kenya, Tanzania, and Liberia
October 19, 2023
IESC is excited to announce that it has been awarded a new five-year USAID Farmer-to-Farmer program focused on expanding access to agricultural finance in Kenya, Tanzania, and Liberia. Building on the success and impact IESC achieved over the last five years, the new Farmer-to-Farmer Access to Finance Program (F2F A2F) will deliver targeted volunteer technical assistance to financial institutions, smallholder farmers, entrepreneurs, and agricultural enterprises to scale proven agri-finance sector innovations.
The new $7.5 million program will have a particular emphasis on women, youth, and climate smart solutions to create more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable agricultural systems while increasing productivity, resilience, income, and profitability. IESC will utilize a robust network of local partners and host institutions to address agricultural finance market coordination failures by supporting both supply-side and demand-side stakeholders.
On the demand side, IESC will strengthen the bankability of agricultural borrowers through pre-loan assistance such as business planning and coaching, productivity, and market access improvement as well as post-loan assistance to strengthen repayment capacity. On the supply side, we will strengthen financial institutions to expand agricultural lending, including developing innovative financial products and services, improving core banking capabilities, and developing digital and climate finance solutions.
Over the life of the new program, IESC will deliver 193 volunteer assignments to at least 50 different supply and demand side institutions resulting in over 130,000 agricultural loans valued at over $86 million and enabling $20.8 million in annual gross sales. IESC will work closely with the broader USAID Farmer-to-Farmer Community of Practice to share lessons learned and best practices in improving agricultural finance in similar developing country contexts.
The USAID Farmer-To-Farmer Access to Finance Program (F2F A2F) is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The U.S. Agency for International Development administers the U.S. foreign assistance program providing economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 80 countries worldwide.