Farmer Market Access Programme

Many of the numerous small businesses in Armenia are held back by lack of access to financial services. The objective of the programme is to make financing available to rural enterprises with good potential for rapid growth. It will help create opportunities for farmers to become more commercially oriented, and it will also increase employment prospects for rural communities. The programme targets existing or new rural businesses run by subsistence and semi-subsistence farmers, landless and unemployed people and poor rural women. Specific aims are to:

• stimulate the growth of rural enterprises with links to poor primary producers, and to those able to offer employment opportunities in rural areas
• help provide financial services in rural areas and build the capacity of the Armenian financial sector to respond to the need for small and medium loans
• provide rural businesses with training in appropriate knowledge and technology

The programme will direct technical and financial assistance towards key points in rural market chains to maximize the impact on productivity, employment opportunities and market access.

Source: IFAD