GROW Learning Series

Increasing Women Farmers’ Access to Financial Services

The GROW project used a combination of formal and informal financial services to meet the needs of clients with distinct needs and across disparate geographies. While clients in more densely populated peri-urban areas could access commercial savings and loan products, for female farmers located in more remote rural areas4, and with lower levels of education, village savings and loans associations (VSLAs) proved to be the best way to begin to access financial services and build financial literacy. Offering these two options ensured that women unable to immediately access a loan from a financial services provider (FSP) could still borrow as well as save.