“Propagate” AgFinance Summit Insights Report: Building Resilience and Expanding Opportunity Through AgFinance

At the heart of this year’s Propagate AgFinance Summit was a simple idea: when financial institutions, policymakers, and communities come together around innovation and shared purpose, change happens.

Over three days, participants explored how financing smallholder farmers can strengthen climate resilience, unlock opportunities for women and refugees, expand access to education, and build healthier, more sustainable communities.

The summit’s success was driven by the leadership of financial partners who are translating ideas into impact. AgFinance’s goal is to connect smallholder farmers with credit so that farming communities can grow more and earn more, and this would not be possible without the Financial Service Providers (FSPs) that serve these farmers.

This year’s summit highlighted both the progress already made and the opportunities ahead for advancing inclusive finance.

Key Themes and Takeaways

At the national level, we saw powerful examples of transformation. Partnerships are shifting perceptions in Malawi, where banks that once avoided agricultural lending are now expanding portfolios. In Uganda, where smallholder farmers produce 80% of food but rarely have access to financial services, AgFinance emerged as a critical lever for change.

These gaps underscore both the urgency and the potential for scaling solutions. Expanding access to financial services is not optional – it is the foundation of food security.

Empowering Women Farmers (GROW Strategy)

Women make up 66% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s agricultural workforce, yet remain largely excluded from credit, land ownership, and extension services. Opportunity AgFinance’s Guaranteeing Rural Opportunities for Women (GROW) strategy is working to close this gap by helping FSPs develop tailored financial products, training their teams to better serve women, and using data to track and strengthen impact.

At the summit, Dr. Asongo Abraham, CEO of Jaress AgriFinance, called for financial products that build women’s resilience, ranging from collateral-free loans to climate-smart lending practices.

Overall, the message is clear: Women are better borrowers but also face the greatest barriers. Financing women farmers strengthens families, communities, and entire nations. Investing in women is not only equitable: it is smart economics.

Financing Regenerative Agriculture

In discussions on regenerative agriculture, panelists emphasized how microfinance institutions are channeling investment into climate-smart practices. Cooperative networks and savings groups are proving both scalable and successful in reaching smallholder farmers, while digital tools are connecting farmers to markets and sustainable technologies.

For agriculture, finance access is one tool for a frontline defense against catastrophic climate events.

Driving Digital Innovation

This year’s summit prioritized the need for constant digital innovation to ensure we are best serving smallholder farmers. The DreamSave initiative is one tool that demonstrates the impact that digital innovation can have. It is transforming Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) by digitizing records, reducing meeting times by up to 65%, and creating reliable data that opens doors to formal financing.

Already, more than 1,000 groups across five countries are benefiting. This innovation is building trust, efficiency, and financial visibility for communities long excluded from the formal financial sector.

Policy and Systemic Commitments

In his keynote presentation, the Governor of the Bank of Uganda, Dr. Michael Atingi-Ego, highlighted both the urgent need and the potential of financing smallholder farmers. Uganda has already seen measurable growth through agricultural finance, and the country’s “tenfold growth strategy” aims to transform Uganda into a food surplus producer.

Through partners like the Agricultural Credit Facility (ACF), Uganda is expanding affordable loans, particularly targeting women and youth through localized, group-based approaches.

Dr. Atingi-Ego outlined four key pillars for growth:

• Propagating Trust
• Propagating Resilience
• Propagating Abundance
• Propagating Value

By prioritizing these pillars, farmers can grow their businesses, strengthen markets, and build sustainable futures. But systemic change requires coordination: governments, FSPs, and donors must align investment with farmers’ needs.

Looking Ahead: Priorities for Action

The summit spotlighted both achievements accomplished to date and urgent priorities for the future, such as:

• Scaling climate finance and regenerative agriculture for resilience.
• Expanding inclusion for women farmers through GROW and beyond.
• Embedding and expanding microinsurance to safeguard financial stability.
• Sustaining digital innovation such as DreamSave and financial identity tools.

The story of Faustina, a smallholder farmer who expanded her livelihood through AgFinance, is just one among thousands. Stories like hers remind us that finance is not about products. It’s about people.

When designed inclusively and implemented with vision, finance unlocks potential, enabling farmers, refugees, women, and communities to weather challenges and thrive.

This summit confirmed that progress is possible when financial partners lead with courage and innovation. Their work – expanding portfolios, testing new products, and listening to clients – fuels transformation.

AgFinance is not just a program; it is a pathway to resilience, inclusion, and lasting impact – helping farmers grow more and earn more.