About the event

The 6th Annual Plenary Meeting of the Smallholder and Agri-SME Finance and Investment Network (SAFIN) will take place on 30-31 October 2023 at the headquarters of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Rome, Italy. 

The 2023 Meeting will be organized around the theme ‘From shared knowledge to collective action’. As the halfway point of SAFIN 2.0 (2021-2025), this year is an opportune time for SAFIN members to take stock of the progress SAFIN has made towards its goals, reflect on its strategic role within the agricultural finance sector, and explore approaches to build on the network’s strengths for greater impact by 2025.

Members and guests of the SAFIN network are invited for one and a half days of learning, networking and planning for the future of SAFIN as well as the broader agri-SME finance ecosystem.

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Event Details:

Event dates: 30-31 October 2023

Location: Rome, Italy

Organizer: SAFIN

 

Highlights

Quote: “Closing the financing gap for agribusinesses is largely a question of allocation, not lack of funds. The estimated 200-billion-dollar shortfall in their financial needs amounts to only 5% of assets under management by pension funds in the United Kingdom alone,” Sanne Steemers, President, Rest of Africa at AFEX

Summary article:

The meeting celebrated SAFIN’s recent success in aligning diverse institutions around common recommendations and best practices while emphasizing a move towards more joint ventures to address coordination gaps in the fragmented sector. Some key takeaways from the discussions are shared below:

  • Reshaping the sector: Mainstreaming systemic approaches
  • Green finance: What gets measured, gets financed
  • Farmer organizations: Building capacity at the grassroots level
  • Multiple crises: Future-proofing finance for agri-SMEs

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