Searching: Blogs

Digitizing Agriculture Value Chains: The Story So far

For the 7% of the world's smallholder farmers who work in tight value chains, digitizing the steps required to move an agricultural product from the farm to final customers could be an opportunity to deepen financial inclusion.

Minimize Risk to Drive Smallholder Adoption of DFS

For the world’s smallholder families, risk is an ever-present part of daily life. Minimizing the risk of trying digital financial services was one of the key takeaways from CGAP’s four smallholder-focused human-centered design projects.

Driving Smallholder Savings through Digital Design in Senegal

After interviewing 65 smallholder farmers and savings groups, CGAP and Dalberg uncovered potential for alternative ways to offer financial services to farmers that go beyond credit.

Making Tough Decisions as a Smallholder Farmer

Smallholders often have to make touch financial choices regarding what to prioritize with limited resources.

Gaining Insights into Digital Design from Cambodia’s Smallholders

Insights from smallholders are informing the design of better digital financial services for farmers in Cambodia, through a human-centered design process.

The Smallholder Lens: Financial Success, Struggle in Mozambique

Photos from smallholder families in Mozambique tell the human story behind the data on the unique challenges the world's 475 million smallholder families face.

myAgro, HCD, and Supporting Smallholder Savings in Senegal

myAgro, CGAP, and IDEO.org are partnering to use human-centered design to further align product offerings in Senegal with smallholders’ behaviors, needs, and aspirations.

Designing Digital Financial Services for Cambodian Smallholders

As Cambodian providers continue to develop innovative new digital financial products and services, tailoring them to the unique needs of smallholder households remains a significant challenge.

The Good News about the Graduation Approach and What’s Next

At an event on June 4 hosted by CGAP, Ford Foundation, J-PAL and IPA, leading researchers presented findings from their evaluations of the Graduation Approach that show enormous promise.

A December Bonus for Mozambican Farmers

In the Smallholder Financial Diaries, currently underway in Mozambique, Tanzania, and Pakistan, a detailed view of the seasonal cycles that govern smallholder farmer’s lives is becoming clearer.

Cocoa Producers in Côte d’Ivoire: Cash vs. Digital

Branchless banking presents an enormous opportunity for smallholder cocoa producers in Côte d’Ivoire, a client segment that contributes to up to 10% of the countries GDP.

Savings Groups Fuel Digital Design for Smallholders in Rwanda

Interviews with over 75 farmers, banking officials, traders, co-ops, and savings groups in Rwanda offer key insights to drive the design of new digital financial services and products.

Five Things Any Youth Savings Program Needs

Women’s World Banking and Banco ADOPEM present five key lessons about serving youth with financial services.

Focusing on the Poorest: What Does the Research Tell Us?

A new article in Science explains that the Graduation Approach is not only impressive, but has a lasting impact on the lives of the poorest.

The Complex Smallholder-Arthi Relationship in Pakistan

Arthis (agricultural agents) are an integral part of the financial lives of the Pakistani families taking part in the CGAP Smallholder Diaries research.

Geography Matters When Talking about Smallholders

As a smallholder, geography not only determines the climate of your village and the farm-readiness of your land, but also plays a role in determining how well-connected you are to irrigation, inputs like seeds and fertilizer, buyers, markets, and training.

Smallholder Households: A Financial Inclusion Imperative

A new Focus Note provides early insights into the Smallholder Households Financial Diaries project and highlights how smallholders weave together agricultural and nonagricultural sources of income to meet their needs.

6 Insights Driving Digital Design for Smallholders in Zimbabwe

IDEO.org designers have traveled across Zimbabwe to gain an important understanding of the lives and aspirations of Zimbabwe’s smallholder households.

"It's About Life," Not Just Agriculture

Agriculture is just one of many sources of income for smallholder farmer households. This post focuses on how one family that has dealt with multiple unexpected financial demands and diverse sources of income.

Econet Embraces HCD to Develop Digital Ecosystem for Smallholders

Recognizing the importance of serving smallholder families, Econet Wireless Ltd is investing in financial products and services that overcome the numerous challenges that they face.