Rural and Agricultural Finance Strategy

The MasterCard Foundation is devoting more of its resources to promoting financial inclusion in rural parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. Smallholder farmers, those who have less than one hectare of land, want to grow more, earn more, and live better. One key obstacle they face is being unable to acquire better seeds or the right fertilizer because they do not have the financial tools to help them do so.

Whether it is holding a savings account, having the ability to borrow or send money safely and affordably, or being able to buy insurance to protect against the unforeseen, smallholder farmers and other poor people need access to modern financial products and services to improve their lives.

With our partner organizations, we support programs that enable people to have access to those services. We also work with financial services providers (banks, microfinance institutions, insurance companies) to help them increase their ability to deliver the financial services that meet smallholders needs.

Our strategy paper for rural and agricultural finance in Sub-Saharan Africa examines the challenges to expanding access and the opportunities there are to make that happen. The potential to bring about positive change is enormous.