Finance That Fits How Farmers Earn

Smallholder farmers produce up to 80% of the continent’s food. Heifer works to bring them the finance they need to grow, against an estimated annual financing gap of $65 billion. We blend philanthropic, public and private investment to build inclusive, sustainable financial systems that serve rural communities, particularly women and youth.

All of this work follows our Sustainable Locally Led Development model, so that financial solutions respond to local realities and are co-owned and sustained by the communities themselves.

Our Partners

We work with financial institutions, technology firms, investors and development partners on solutions that widen access to inclusive finance for farmers.

• Banks and financial intermediaries. From local savings and credit cooperatives to regional banks and global lenders, our partners offer savings products, microloans, leasing options and working capital that reach underserved farming communities.
• Technology providers. We work with agricultural technology and fintech firms, including:
  • Hello Tractor, which offers pay-as-you-go access to mechanisation
  • Thrive Agric, which promotes financial inclusion through mobile technology and farmer visibility
  • Pula, which offers protection against climate risk through insurance paid at harvest
  • Mastercard, which supports traceability, digital payments and platforms that provide visibility at the last mile
• Impact investors. Through Heifer Impact Capital, we have committed more than $17.7 million in financing across 13 African countries, opening access to capital for inclusive agribusinesses and rural small and medium enterprises.
• Development partners. Partners such as the Mastercard Foundation, under the SAYE Youth Employment Initiative, help extend financing models led by young people and widen access to dignified employment across agricultural value chains.

Why It Matters

Signature Programs are built around each country’s markets and priorities. They reflect Heifer’s ambition to change how food systems work, so that they are inclusive and shaped by farmers, with climate resilience built in. By aligning with the principles of Sustainable Locally Led Development and anchoring programs in market systems development and agricultural financing, we aim to support lasting change that communities can sustain beyond our involvement.