This Vijverbergsession on Family Farming – Financial Services, is preparatory to the conference  on Family Farming, which will be held  in Utrecht on December 15, 2014. Core question of this conference is: What support do African family farmers need in order to improve their entrepreneurial performance?
Representatives of  ngo’s, the business community, the academy, politics and public administration will share and connect their lessons learned and current insights on supporting the successful transition of family farmers to rural entrepreneurs.

Theme

A significant challenge faced by family farmers is their limited access to credits and other financial services, such as insurances.

Florian Grohs, Credit Director of Oikocredit International, will share experiences and lessons learned with loan programmes for family farmers, analysing both success and failure. How is Oikocredit now dealing with the multiple policy dilemmas involved?

And on a parallel track, what are Oikocredit’s experiences and lessons learned  with programmes that aim to support smallholders in setting uptheir own organizations for savings and credit? What makes for success here?

Next to this, the topic of crop insurance will be addressed, as an instrument to facilitate access to credit and as part of a broader strategy to mitigate the risks that are inherent to the agricultural enterprise. Representatives of  the Rabobank, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the University of Wageningen will provide further input for the conversation.

Programme

16.30 Welcome
17.00 Opening
19.00 Drinks & Bites

Please register by contacting Marieke de Sonnaville:   / +31 (0)70 338 3288