Agricultural Value Chain Finance

Agriculture remains an important means of alleviating poverty, but shortage of finance can constrain its development. At the same time, agriculture is evolving towards a global system requiring high-quality, competitive products, and is organized in value chains which often exclude smallholders. Value chain financing in agriculture offers an opportunity to increase the scope, and reduce the cost and risk of financing to agriculture. It can also help value chains to be more inclusive, by making resources available for smallholders to be integrated into higher value market opportunities. Agricultural Value Chain Finance provides a comprehensive look at the models, tools and approaches used by industry leaders in all parts of the developing world. These are described, analysed and illustrated by many rich examples in order to demonstrate how they work, and to extract lessons and applications for others to adapt. The book builds on the deep experience of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) in agricultural development and finance This book is essential reading for agribusiness leaders and technical staff, bankers and cooperative leaders working in agriculture, NGO and microfinance development practitioners, researchers and policy makers. Published in association with FAO.