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**Hi |FNAME|,**

Welcome back! We have been relatively quiet from our side for the last couple of weeks, but not without reason...

We have been working hard with financial experts, financial institutions and farmer associations to understand the needs and requirements for enabling financial inclusion for farmers in Myanmar.

Moreover we now reach 2.000.000 farmers per month through both our Golden Paddy Facebook Page and mobile application!

In this Golden Paddy Newsletter we will:

Give a summary of our Access To Finance event
Share the insights from the Breakout Group Sessions
Provide access to all presentations and documentations from this event

LOWERING BARRIERS TO FINANCE AND INSURE FARMERS

May 19th, 2017
Impact Terra office
Yangon, Myanmar

A seminar with key farmer’s associations, MFIs, banks, insurers, governmental representatives and other stakeholders to facilitate the availability on capital and insurance to rural farmers

Event Summary

Accompanied by the NPM, the Platform for Inclusive Finance, we had the opportunity to present our ideas to many different key farmer’s associations, MFIs, banks, insurers, governmental representatives and other stakeholders at our Access To Finance Event. Below is the agenda of this event:

Presentation 1: Financing and Insuring Smallholder Farmers
by Ms. Josien Sluijs

How do we approach farmers from a risk perspective?

Click here to download the full presentation!

Breakout session 1: Current Roadblocks in Myanmar

The presentation was followed by a group discussion in which the following question was asked: Why do farmers have no or, limited access to finance?

Below are the results brought forward by the participants:

MFI's lack capital and funding, due to:
- Risk of crop failures
- Weather risk
- Missing market linkages
- No price guarantees from the government
No fitting lending criteria for farmers
Banks have limited lending capacities to farmers due to:
- Lack of data for credit risk assessments
- High transaction costs
Limited facilities to hedge currency risk
Lack of financial literacy among farmers
Awaiting clear government strategy regarding farmer finance
Financial institutions are lacking price and market information

Presentation 2: Geodata for Inclusive Finance and Insurance
By Ms. Josien Sluijs

How can geodata facilitate accessible farmer finance

Click here to download the full presentation!

Breakout session 2: What Data Do We Need?

In the following Breakout Session the participants asked themselves the question:
What information do financial institutions need, so that they are able to evaluate a farmers’ situation?

The result can be divided into 3 main areas.

Crops, yield and farming information
- Length of crop cycle
- Weather data
- Soil quality information
- Data to support irrigation
- PEST information and update
- Average yield per acre per crop
- Crop yield per season
The financial situation of the farmer
- Cost of cultivation per acre per crop
- Cost of input pricing per crop
- Other outstanding debts of farmer
- Credit history of farmer
- Overview of farming assets, collateral and guarantees.
- Remittances
- Cash flow patterns of farm operations
- Market information specified per crop
- Other potential sources of farmer income
The personal situation of the farmer
- Land ownership
- Family size and accompanying expenditure pattern
- Availability of government cultivation
- Social situation