Suchergebnisse

A recent publication of the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has highlighted the food insecurity problem facing the globe: food production will have to increase by 70 percent in 2050 to keep up with a global population that is projected to grow from 6 billion to 9 billion. There has to be more investments in agriculture to improve productivity, which will be critical to the goal of achieving food security. There is scope for governments and the private sector cooperation in food production. The paper discusses innovative financing schemes geared to food production and identifies policy gaps, that is, areas where governments could intervene to enhance the workings of the market.

This paper looks at the existing credit programs for smallholders, including agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs). It also assesses the Agrarian Production Credit Program, which is a program being implemented in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and the Land Bank of the Philippines for ARBs using agrarian reform beneficiary organizations as retailers. Moreover, the study determines specific gaps and issues related to meeting the credit needs of smallholders and identifies possible strategic interventions by both government and the private sector that can enhance smallholders' access to financial services.