Women smallholder farmers continue to be underserved by traditional financial systems. Their lived realities of seasonal incomes, rising input costs, remote geographies, and vulnerability to climate shocks rarely align with the design of mainstream credit products.
To address these persistent gaps, the Smallholder Safety Net Upscaling Programme (SSNUP) was implemented in Malawi by MicroLoan Foundation, in partnership with the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation and Amarante Consulting. The objective: to expand meaningful financial inclusion for rural smallholder farmers.
The initiative has delivered a suite of practical innovations, including:
• A USSD-based mobile platform for loan repayments, already receiving positive feedback from clients
• A purpose-built agricultural loan product now in high demand for the upcoming season
• A credit scoring solution supporting smarter, data-driven disbursements
These interventions are already reshaping how rural financial services can be delivered with impact, efficiency, and client satisfaction at the core.
At the heart of this initiative is the Phindu Agricultural Loan Product, designed specifically for last-mile women smallholder farmers.
Over a six-month pilot across four branches — Dowa, Kasungu, Ntchisi, and Salima — the loan delivered outstanding results:
• 98% repayment rate
• 1,125 farmers reached
These outcomes clearly demonstrate both the demand and viability of well-tailored, client-centric financial products in rural contexts.
Over a 24-month engagement, this project moved far beyond typical short-term technical assistance. It encompassed:
• In-depth market research and risk analysis
• Product design and credit operations modelling
• Seamless integration with mobile money via Airtel Malawi
• End-to-end staff training and capacity building
• Robust client feedback loops for continuous learning
The pilot highlighted several important insights for institutions looking to deepen their impact in rural areas:
• The power of design thinking in creating relevant, user-centred products
• The importance of bundling services, such as crop insurance, to reduce risk
• The need for timely, reliable loan disbursement, especially given rising input costs
• The potential of data tools and partnerships to scale solutions sustainably
Now mainstreamed across the MicroLoan Foundation Malawi network, the Phindu loan product is evolving further with larger loan sizes, quicker disbursements, and stronger linkages to both input suppliers and output markets.
As we look to the future, the core question remains:
How do we build financial products that truly work for rural communities?
This will be the focus of our upcoming session during Financial Inclusion Week 2025, where we will share real-world insights, client voices, and operational lessons from this journey.
We believe agricultural finance can and must do more. By putting farmers at the centre, building intentionally, and scaling responsibly, we can extend the reach of finance to where it is needed most, fostering both resilience and opportunity in rural communities.
Join the conversation and hear more from our experts during Financial Inclusion Week 2025
Photographs: Didier Gentilhomme
Published on: 01/10/2025