The consultancy firm will provide technical assistance as part of the project support to ensure that the pilot farmers can access the capital, knowledge, and incentives needed to shift to improved, safer agricultural production. It will involve business development support for farmers, assisting in loan application processes and financial linkages for sustainable financial mechanisms.

Scope of Work

The selected firm will be responsible for the following tasks

 i.       Initial Assessment

• Conduct a rapid desk review of relevant project documents, existing policies, practices and existing agricultural financing products provided at banks, microfinance institutions, village development funds, private sector.
• Undertake site visits in coordination with local authorities to profile each of the pilot farmers’ production systems, cash flows, agribusiness relationships, existing liabilities, and investment needs.
• Identify and map financial institutions and support entities at the provincial and national level with potential to offer credit to farmers.
• Identify gaps and capacity-building needs with respect to the project’s financial mechanism requirements.

        ii.                   Capacity Building on financial access

• Organize engagement sessions with farmers to explain the structure of the financial mechanism, eligibility criteria for the application process and credit agreement of green financial product as sustainable alternative and required documentation. Develop a guidebook/toolkit for the application process, ensuring it is user-friendly and contextualized for smallholder farmers.
• Provide training on basic financial literacy, record keeping, and the preparation of bankable project proposals.

       iii.                  Application support

·       Provide hands-on facilitation to finalize and launch the selected financing options for farmers including assistance in preparing loan applications, facilitating collateral requirements where applicable.

·       Facilitate financial application sessions, including screening criteria of application and reviewing draft applications and providing feedback.

• Coordinate with financial institutions where applicable to clarify technical and procedural issues.

     iv.                  Knowledge Exchange

• Track the progress on farmer’s applications and report on challenges, successes and lessons learned.
• Prepare a final consultancy report summarizing activities, outcomes, and recommendations for scaling up. 

In addition to the core deliverables, the firm will identify credit-providing entities in each province and at the national level, and—through strategic engagement—facilitate partnerships and commitments with the entities to enhance farmer access to finance. The firm is expected to coordinate this process with the Department of Agriculture (DOA) to ensure institutional alignment and sustainability.