The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive assessment of the current state of financial inclusion of the rural youth in Uganda, with a specific focus on their engagement in the agricultural sector and the financial services that are available to them to pursue their business ventures in this area. The study seeks to illustrate and bring to light the core constraints and opportunities associated with the provision of tailored financial services to young agricultural entrepreneurs in the country, while showcasing the essential role that key support actors (such as the Government, Central Bank, international development institutions, NGOs, foundations and many others) can play in fostering the provision and uptake of such services.
The aim of this publication is to provide a comprehensive assessment of the current state of financial inclusion among the Kenyan youth, especially those residing in rural and financially underserved areas. In particular, the study seeks to illustrate the clear linkage between the substantial financial access gap faced nowadays by the Kenyan youth and their inability to pursue high value-added entrepreneurial opportunities, chiefly in the agribusiness sector. The study sets out to analyze the core constraints and opportunities associated with the provision of tailored financial services to young Kenyans (especially first-time entrepreneurs), while showcasing the essential role that key supporting actors (such as the government, international development institutions, NGOs, foundations and many others) can play in fostering the provision and uptake of such services.
This study aims to analyze the coffee value chain in Uganda and identify opportunities and constraints for enhancing youth employment. Coffee is one of the key agricultural commodities in the Government of Uganda’s pursuance of sustainable growth and job creation, especially for the rapidly expanding youth population. The study outlines a significant number of job opportunities for young people along this value chain, not only in production but increasingly in processing, trade and marketing, as well as service provision. It also suggests strategic upgrading options and outlines concrete policy actions to maximize youth participation in and benefits from the coffee sub-sector.
The year 2019 marked a time of growth and renewed commitments for FAO’s Flexible Multi-Partner Mechanism (FMM), the main pooled funding mechanism for resource partners to contribute flexible, voluntary, annual, and multi-year resources to the Organization for the achievement of results under FAO’s Strategic Framework and the realization of catalytic impact. This annual report provides an overview of major improvements and transformational changes to the FMM since 2018, in addition to presenting key achievements, challenges, and lessons learned thus far in the implementation of the Fund in 2019.
This catalogue aims to improve the dissemination and outreach of FAO’s knowledge products and overall publishing programme. By providing information on its key publications in every area of FAO’s work, and catering to a range of audiences, it thereby contributes to all organizational outcomes. From statistical analysis to specialized manuals to children’s books, FAO publications cater to a diverse range of audiences. This catalogue presents a selection of FAO’s main publications, produced in 2020 or earlier, ranging from its global reports and general interest publications to numerous specialized titles. In addition to the major themes of agriculture, forestry and fisheries, it also includes thematic sections on climate change, economic and social development, and food safety and nutrition.
In the context of a global pandemic, many migrants returned to their rural areas of origin, both from cities within their own countries and from abroad. While return migration can be an opportunity, this presented considerable challenges for many migrants and government stakeholders without adequate knowledge, policy and mechanisms in place to support sustainable rural reintegration. In the past, greater attention has been paid to reintegration in cities. This report takes a step in addressing that gap, assessing lessons learned and best practices in supporting sustainable reintegration specifically in rural areas. The aim of the global lessons learned report is to provide a roadmap for collective action in support of returnees in rural areas and rural communities across a range of development settings. At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact mobility, and with an eye to future disruptions that the world may face, there is an opportunity to support rural environments as spaces of protection and inclusion for returnees.
"This working paper deepens the analysis on inclusive finance and rural youth through cutting-age research and new insights and approaches that have emerged over the years in the field. The overall narrative clearly documents the ways in which rural youth engage with the economy, policy and institutions and identifies the rapid changes occurring across the globe as well as the opportunities and challenges that young people living in rural areas encounter in their different livelihoods. Within this context, financial inclusion has gained attention as a key contributing factor to unlock the potential of rural youth in driving sustainable and inclusive rural transformation. This paper investigates how recent developments in this sector entail new opportunities for rural youth, and highlights persisting barriers that prevent rural youth from accessing financial and non-financial services, making the case for a market system approach to financial inclusion with specific attention given to digital finance"--Preliminary page.
The Flexible Multi-Partner Mechanism (FMM), as FAO’s main pooled multi-partner flexible funding instrument, enables resource partners to contribute voluntary and less-earmarked financial resources to support the delivery of programmatic results under FAO’s Strategic Framework. This report highlights the key achievements of the FMM in 2020, both in terms of its accomplishments as a funding mechanism and the delivery of transformative results on the ground through FMM-funded Programmes and Subprogrammes.
Agriculture is the mainstay of Uganda’s economy, contributing about 25% of the GDP, a third of the ex port earnings and almost all the country’s food requirements. Yet, the sector still faces various challenges that affect production and the income derived from it. Systemic issues impact smallholder farmers' livelihoods across markets, land, skills, and capital, with cross-cutting social exclusion issues. Effective application of digital agricultural technologies has emerged as a catalyst in addressing productivity and efficiency challenges and enhancing inclusiveness in agri-food systems. Digital technologies have shown potential to address bottlenecks in access to extension services, marketing systems, suitable financial products, reliable weather information, transport services and logistics as well as supply chain management. Scaling of digital agricultural technologies in Uganda is critical for improving productivity and addressing challenges in the agricultural sector. However, for scaling to be undertaken effectively and inclusively, there is need to address the barriers that limit the use of digital innovations for some populations. However, the issues surrounding scaling and inclusivity of digital services are not well understood. This study therefore sought to contribute to bridging this knowledge gap through an assessment of the existing digitally enabled innovative cross-value chain services to gain insights into how the services are addressing inefficiencies, creating opportunities for improving efficiency and inclusiveness as well as identifying promising innovations for scaling. Specifically, the study focused on innovations in finance and logistics for value chains. For finance, the study specifically looked at digital payments, credit, and insurance, while for logistics, the focus was on supply chain management, transportation, traceability, digital platforms for e-commerce, and (cold) storage across value chains.
Recent literature suggests that agricultural value chains are changing rapidly and places an increasing focus on the importance of actors and activities taking place in the “midstream” of these value chains, after production and prior to final sale. This article discusses the financial needs of midstream actors in agricultural value chains, emphasizing differences across midstream activities and highlighting how value chain characteristics can influence both financial needs and potential remedies. The paper concludes with a discussion of the prospects of digital financial services to alleviate financial needs of midstream actors.
