The latest issue of Farming Matters is out, and will soon be reaching all subscribers. In this number of our magazine we look at the different strategies which are being followed, in different parts of the world, so that small scale farmers get the financial support they need. "Over the past decade, microcredit facilities have mushroomed and many
groups of small farmers and landless people, notably women have
benefited. Microcredit however is often not enough to help farmers build
viable and sustainable farms.." We include an article describing contract farming, and another one looking at the importance of local resources. We look at value-chain finance, and also at micro-insurance. We also present an article deascribing a “transactional banking” model as an alternative to "relationship banking": an approach by which a bank bases its assessment of the creditworthiness of a farmer on secondary sources of information. Farmers can be assessed according to several indicators, which show how they are managing their farm and thus the likelihood of them defaulting on a loan. Please find the contents, and all articles, here. And do read our call for contributions, and share your experiences, ideas and opinions with us!