This blog is co-written by Kyla Levin-Russell (Senior Specialist, MarketShare Associates) and Clara Yoon (Project Manager, MEDA). The quotes from the online learning event were edited or condensed for clarity.

Four years ago, MEDA set out to address the research question, “which financial services can catalyze change among smallholder farmers?” Through a series of regional roundtable events and consultations with agricultural finance experts, a research opportunity emerged:

Mr. Vijay Gurung and Mr. Govinda Raut from Muktinath Bank

Note: the interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Last month I had the opportunity to conduct a final round of partner visits in Bangladesh and Nepal as MEDA’s INNOVATE project is in its final months of implementation . It was eye-opening to visit farmers in rural Bangladesh who received and used a bank loan for the first time; and to hear diverse perspectives and challenges from financial institution partners in both Bangladesh and in Nepal.