Browsing: Farmers

KCB Foundation livestock farmers financing

Kenya: KCB Foundation, USAID partner to support smallholder farmers project

Kenya
  • Livestock farmers in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) will receive training and financing from KCB Foundation
  • The partnership will train and equip farmers from ASALs with climate-smart agricultural practices to mitigate the dire impacts of climate change
  • The two-year partnership will mobilise KSh 100 million in financing for the farmers through strategic partners to grow the funding to KSh 500 million
  • Kenya is currently facing a drought that has left more than 2.5 million people on the brink of starvation and poverty. Pastoralists and farmers now have less and less time to recover

Livestock farmers in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) will receive training and financing from KCB Foundation following a partnership with the United States Agency for International Development’s Kenya Investment Mechanism.

The partnership will train and equip farmers from ASALs with climate-smart agricultural practices to mitigate the dire impacts of climate change. The two-year partnership will …

New UN-backed funding to benefit rural businesses, small-scale farmers

Africa

Rural businesses in Africa will benefit from an ambitious new financing programme launched by the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), as part of its broader efforts to address rising hunger and poverty levels in the world’s poorest countries.

In a statement, IFAD says the programme, dubbed ‘The Private Sector Financing Programme (PSFP)’, aims to spearhead an increase in private investment in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), farmers’ organizations and financial intermediaries servicing small-scale farmers, which are too often neglected by investors.

It will provide loans, risk management instruments (such as guarantees), and equity investments.

Commenting on the development, Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of IFAD said there is need to urgently stimulate more private sector investments to rural areas and unlock the immense entrepreneurial potential of millions of rural SMEs and small producers.

“With access to capital, they can attract more investors and partners, grow their businesses and create …

Fairtrade To Double Average Income For Farmers in Africa

Africa

Fairtrade International has committed to double the average income of farmers and workers in Africa.

Speaking during the ongoing 7th Africa Fairtrade Conference, Fairtrade International Board Chair Lynette Thorstensen said despite the hard times brought about by Covid-19, there is hope for the future of African farmers.

“This has been a very tough year globally, however, let us look at the future with optimism,” she said.

According to Thorstensen, Fairtrade International set aside a Covid relief fund in which more than 10.5 million Euros was raised by external governments, retailers, crowdfunding as well as internal sources by pledges from members for relief and resilience support for producer organisations.

“A total of 337 producer organisations from 17 countries have benefited from the fund. We believe that in the current climate, we need to move faster and ensure no one gets left behind.”

Speaking at the same event, Mary Kinyua, the Fairtrade …

Why financial inclusion for African farmers matters 

Industry and Trade

 It is unfair to mention African development pillars without mentioning the agriculture sector which employs nearly half of the population of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).  

The sector has enormous benefits to the continent, where farmer-centred organizations such as AGRA (Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa) argue that nearly one-half of the young population is involved in the continent’s 60 million farms. 

It is with no doubt that African farms stand to be the next profitable food market suppliers of the world.  

“Out of total urban food sales of roughly US$200 to US$250 billion per year, over 80 per centcomes from domestic African suppliers,” according to AGRA. 

Nearly 23 per cent of SSA’s GDP comes from agriculture (McKinsey, 2019); the sector is responsible for providing decent income, growth and poverty reduction for SSA. 

The region’s food market was valued at $300 billion in 2017 and it could be

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