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Growing Rural Economies through Agricultural Finance in Africa
In the last decade, Opportunity International embarked on an agricultural finance and rural savings program to spur economic activity and provide enduring resources for smallholder farmers and other rural clients in five African countries, including Uganda, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique and Rwanda. Opportunity’s approach is to help farmers move from subsistence growing to cash crop production Read more…
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Breakout session, coffee farmer, Crop insurance, Ending Poverty, Insurance, John Magnay, Loan Officer, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, OIC2011, Opportunity Ghana, Opportunity International, Opportunity International Microfinance Conference, Opportunity Malawi, opportunity mozambique, Opportunity Rwanda, Opportunity Uganda, Poverty, Savings, Smallholder farmer, Training
Breakout Session: Innovating to Meet Community Needs
“The more you listen and respond… the way you increase your chances of success and long term benefit is dramatic,” stated Jim Frantz, chief transformation officer at Opportunity Colombia, speaking about the importance of having local input and ownership when implementing initiatives in impoverished communities. This breakout session highlighted just a few of the innovative solutions Read more…
Tagged Africa, Agriculture, Colombia, Community, Conference, Craig DeRoy, David Allman, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Ghana, Jim Frantz, Latin America, Nicaragua, OIC2011, Opportunity Colombia, Opportunity Ghana, Opportunity International, Opportunity International Microfinance Conference, Opportunity Nicaragua, Poverty, roof and floor program, YAO, YAO - San Francisco, Young Ambassadors for Opportunity
Breakout Session: Global Food Security: Call to Action
As the hunger crisis persists in the Horn of Africa and elsewhere, the urgent need continues for agricultural development, nutrition assistance and humanitarian response–both short- and long-term. Join this discussion that explores the ethical, economic and global security justifications for a comprehensive and coordinated strategy to address worldwide hunger. Facilitator: Dennis Ripley, senior VP, international Read more…
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Alliance to End Hunger, Dennis Ripley, Ending Hunger, Ending Poverty, Feed the Future Guide, Financial services, Food security, Global Poverty, John Magnay, Julie Howard, Loans, Microfinance, OIC2011, Opportunity International, Opportunity International Microfinance Conference, Tony Hall, USAID
Breakout Session: Agricultural Finance: Cultivating Hope
With 65% of the Sub-Saharan African labor force employed in agriculture, which provides 32% of GDP growth, according to the World Bank, the importance of the sector to the economy is clear. Agriculture is recognized as the key to revitalizing Sub-Saharan Africa’s rural regions and significantly reducing the level of poverty. In this breakout session, Read more…
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Clients, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Food security, Global Poverty, John Magnay, Loans, Microfinance, OIC2011, Opportunity International, Opportunity International Microfinance Conference, Technology, World Bank
Supporting Rural Farmers, Reducing Poverty and Hunger
The John Deere Foundation recently approved a $2.5 million grant to support Opportunity’s agricultural finance program, which will extend a full range of financial services and crop-specific to smallholder farmers in five countries in Africa. “We are impressed with the progress that Opportunity International has made in increasing access to financial services for African farmers, food processors and retailers,” said John Bustle, vice president, John Deere Foundation. “Likewise, we are Read more…
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Banking on Africa, Clients, crops, Ending Poverty, Farmers, Financial services, Food security, Ghana, Global Poverty, john deere, john deere foundation, Loan Officer, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, OIC2011, Opportunity International, Opportunity International Microfinance Conference, Poverty, Savings, Smallholder farmer, sub-Saharan Africa
Photo Blog: We’re Banking on Africa
This summer, Opportunity has launched the Banking on Africa Campaign. The campaign aims to bring millions of Sub-Saharan Africans closer to the day when they can safely deposit their savings, access loans to grow businesses, and purchase affordable insurance to protect their families—right in their own communities. Check out a photo tour below of some Read more…
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Banking on Africa, Banking on Africa Campaign, Children, Clients, Dikembe Mutombo, Education finance, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Ghana, Kenya, Loans, Malawi, MFI, Microfinance, Mobile Banking, mobile banking vehicles, Opportunity DRC, Opportunity International, Opportunity Kenya, Opportunity Malawi, opportunity mozambique, Opportunity South Africa, Opportunity Tanzania, Opportunity Uganda, Poverty, Rwanda, School Proprietor Loans, Schools, Students, Tanzania, Uganda
What We’re Watching: John Deere Classic on CBS Sports–John Deere Foundation Partners with Opportunity to Make a Difference
This video clip, which aired Sunday, July 10 on CBS Sports during the 2011 John Deere Classic PGA golf tournament, celebrates John Deere’s partnership with Opportunity International through the Classic and other initiatives. Here, John Deere chairman and CEO Sam Allen discusses the company’s commitment to philanthropy and economic development at home and abroad, ensuring Read more…
Tagged Agricultural finance, Agriculture, Ending Poverty, Farmers, Financial services, Food security, Global Poverty, Insurance, john deere, john deere foundation, Loans, MFI, Microfinance, Opportunity International, Poverty, Savings, Smallholder farmer, Training
What We’re Reading: “Rural and Agricultural Finance in the Spotlight at Cracking the Nut Conference”
A few weeks ago, Shari Berenbach, Director of USAID’s Microenterprise Development Office, wrote a blog post on the USAID’s IMPACTblog reported on a conference held in Washington that directly addressed the problems that face agricultural microfinance, as 600 million smallholder farmers currently live on less than $2 a day. Speakers at the conference emphasized new Read more…
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, ATMs, biometric fingerprint technology, biometrics, branchless banking, Cell phone banking, Colombia, Community, Ending Poverty, Financial services, Global Poverty, Kenya, Latin America, Loans, M-banking, M-PESA, Malawi, MFI, Microfinance, Mobile Banking, mobile branches, mobile phone banking, Mobile Phones, Opportunity International, Opportunity Kenya, Opportunity Malawi, Poverty, Rural banking, Rural Outreach, Technology, USAID, USAID Impact blog, what we're reading
Traveling with Students of the World (SOW): Seeing the Impact of Microfinance on Opportunity Clients in Ghana
The Students of the World (SOW) Boston team is in Ghana all this month visiting Opportunity Ghana‘s microfinance operations and documenting their experiences in a diverse array of photos, posts and more on their blog. You can see all their updates and content on their site, and stay tuned to the Opportunity Blog and our Facebook Read more…
Tagged Africa, Agricultural finance, Agriculture, ashanti, Blog, Blogging, bonsaaso, Cell Phones, Clients, cocoa, Community, Ending Poverty, Farmers, Financial services, Ghana, Global Poverty, Loans, Microfinance, Opportunity Ghana, Opportunity International, Poverty, Social Media, Students, Students of the World, Travel, Trust Group, Youth
