The fastest way to end the intergenerational transfer of poverty is by investing in rural economies.”
Akinwumi Adesina, President, African Development Bank, and Director, Rockefeller Foundation
Opportunity International’s Agriculture Finance (AgFinance) initiative is built on the idea that, through targeted financial solutions, training, and support, farmers can increase their production, income, and employment to build thriving and resilient households in rural communities. Ultimately, we have one bold goal: help farmers grow more and earn more.
Through localized training and relationships, we are empowering farmers to operate their farms and businesses more effectively and productively. In addition, our partnerships with financial institutions are expanding access to finance in rural communities to accelerate investment and growth in the agriculture sector, creating sustainable economic opportunities for families living in some of the world’s most impoverished conditions.
Our AgFinance model brings scalable, tailored, high-impact training and loans to rural families living in poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, bringing three critical components to break the cycle of generational poverty:
- Technology-enabled training in critical skills to increase knowledge of agricultural best practices, increase farm productivity, improve financial literacy, strengthen credit-readiness, foster gender awareness, and build climate resilience.
- Tailored agricultural loans to maximize the quality and quantity of what farmers grow, consume, and sell.
- Empowering farmer groups to maximize profit from their crops.
By targeting the gaps and inefficiencies that prevent many rural families from earning a sustainable livelihood, we empower farmers to…
Increase their incomes.
With higher-yielding crops, farmers are earning more and re-investing to improve their farms, such as adding irrigation.
Diversify their incomes.
Farmers invest income in additional sources of revenue, such as goats, cows, and chickens, or starting a small side business, improving their long-term financial resiliency.
Improve their living conditions.
With surplus income, farmers will purchase new metal roofs, water purifiers, food, and healthcare.
Send their children to school.
Improvements in farm productivity and income mean more children can go to school instead of staying home to help on the farm.
The Need
- The majority of smallholder farmers produce only 20-30% of their potential yields.
- Smallholder farmers make up over 80% of Africa’s farms.
- Three out of four people living in extreme poverty are farmers, surviving on 1-2 meals/day.
- Our current client demographic includes 61% female farmers; 52% of clients live below $1.90/day and 83% live below $3.20/day.
- Current market assessments indicate that only 3% of agricultural finance demand is currently met, leaving a $200 billion annual financing gap.
- Generations of rural families living in poverty have been left out of earning a sustainable living.
Investing in agriculture is one of the most powerful actions to improve rural livelihoods. More opportunities in agriculture mean that fewer people go hungry, fewer children miss school, and more rural families can build sustainable livelihoods.
Our Programs
Farmer Support Agents
Farmer Support Agents (FSAs) are farmers, community leaders, and agents of change who connect directly with fellow farmers to help them access finance, improve their farms, and increase their incomes. They are digitally equipped with a smartphone and taught to use a data collection tool and training content.
FSAs gather groups of farmers and provide trainings in various topics—from Family Business & Entrepreneurship, Financial Literacy, Good Agricultural and Regenerative Agriculture Practices, to Group Dynamics. These farming groups also gain access to support for input distribution, access to market information, and a network of farmers to learn from. Farmer Support Agents are improving transparency and driving more services where farmers need them most, equipping farmers with skills and support to produce higher-yielding, higher-quality crops.
Financial Programs
In partnership with local financial institutions, AgFinance develops tailored agricultural financial services according to the seasonal needs of small farmers and rural agribusinesses. Opportunity focuses on building the internal expertise of financial institutions, which equips them to grow and maintain sustainable agricultural portfolios long-term so more rural clients can access the capital they need to grow their farms and businesses.
Climate Resilience
The increasing frequency and intensity of climate disasters, along with more unpredictable weather patterns, have jeopardized the income and food security of farmers across the globe. However, those living in extreme poverty are being disproportionately affected by climate change, and the lack of available resources makes rebuilding even more difficult. AgFinance is working to increase farmers’ resilience to climate change. AgFinance is supporting climate finance initiatives at financial institution partners and supporting regenerative agriculture (RegenAg) practices among smallholder farmers. RegenAg practices include minimizing soil disturbance, maximizing crop diversity, crop cover, living roots year-round, and integrating livestock. RegenAg practices support healthy soil with limited external inputs that improve crop resilience to both drought and flooding, and produce healthy crops.
Case Studies
- Evaluating the potential of the seed sector in Niger, in partnership with USAID
- AgFinance positively impacts smallholder farmers in Ghana, in partnership with The Mastercard Foundation
- Agricultural Finance Impact Assessment: Increasing the productivity and income among farming households in Uganda, Rwanda, and Ghana, in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The Mastercard Foundation
- Tangible benefits reported by AgFinance clients
- Gender analysis of AgFinance in Ghana and Mozambique
Explore Additional Case Studies