Job creation and economic growth through private sector development have become primary areas of focus for policy makers around the world in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. Recent evidence points to the importance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs)1 in providing employment across countries. In addition to employing the largest number of people in aggregate, SMEs generate the most new jobs (Ayyagari et al., 2011). But SMEs also face many challenges in day-to-day operations and to grow. Access to finance is often cited as one of the primary obstacles that affect SMEs...

What innovations can help bankers in developing countries who wish to finance agricultural small and medium enterprises (SMEs)? This report tries to answer this question by isolating promising cases of emergent and innovative financing, risk mitigation, and distribution models. The paper identifies key elements observed across case studies. In the report, case studies are documented, models are observed, and patterns are determined. The report primarily addresses private sector financial institutions in developing countries and therefore focuses on models from the private sector perspective.

Asia and the Pacific region has one of the highest exposures of any region in the world to natural hazards including typhoons, floods, landslides, droughts, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. Weather-related risks, particularly hurricanes, flooding and drought, are a frequent occurrence and affect crop yields, livelihoods and assets, and the personal safety of vulnerable groups across the region. The frequency with which these disasters occur often taxes the ability of such groups to rebound quickly, increasing their risk of hunger and malnutrition. Low-cost agricultural insurance...

Full Publication This pre-feasibility report was prepared for the Ford Foundation by Jason Hartell of GlobalAgRisk, Inc., Ntongi McFadyen of the Livelihoods Department of Save the Children, USA, and Jerry Skees of GlobalAgRisk, Inc., under Ford Grant No. 1100-0121 and IIEF Program No. FF-5H016. GlobalAgRisk is a policy-oriented firm with close ties to the University of Kentucky. Our work is supported by international donors who recognize the importance of markets in transferring natural disaster risk as a means for developing and enhancing access to financial service by the productive poor...