Knowledge Portal

The Firm to Farm Finance Toolkit (F2FF) (PDF) was commissioned by USAID and in a pilot project in Bangladesh. This toolkit suggests an approach and process for achieving sustainable and mutually beneficial market linkages between poor rural farmers and financial institutions. »

The Initiative for Smallholder Finance is a multi-donor effort designed to demonstrate how specific products and services can expand the reach of financing for smallholder farmers. They have published several briefings which provide insight into targeted market research, product development and testing and investment facilitation in the smallholder finance market. »

This paper highlights the role of Islamic microfinance as an instrument in tackling rural poverty in Muslim countries. It describes key features of Islamic microfinance and describes Islamic microfinance contract modalities in Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, and Bosnia and Herzegovina »

This CTA publication (PDF) provides insights into the various seed systems and their policy environments and value chain actors including universities, enterprises, farmers and women’s and regulatory and other support agencies. The paper also discusses the challenges faced in improving seed quality and availability in East and Central Africa. »

In July 2014, a regional dialogue on “Strengthening African Seed Systems: Technical, Economic and Policy Challenges” took place in Nairobi, hosted by Future Agricultures and the Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development. The workshop aimed to examine the institutional, social and political dimensions of getting seed technologies into use and to highlight the challenges of increasing access to improved seeds for poor farmers through both formal and informal channels. This blog highlights lessons learned from the event, such as the need for re-framing of public policy so that it opens up opportunities for donors, civil society, researchers and farmers to investment in plural seed sector development. »

This report offers a multifaceted overview of global hunger that brings new insights to the global debate on where to focus efforts in the fight against hunger and malnutrition. The report highlights the challenges related to hidden hunger, which is often ignored or overshadowed by hunger related to energy deficits. Hidden hunger, or micronutrient deficiency, affects some 2 billion people around the world. »