International Conference on livestock value chain finance and access to credit:

Improving smallholders’ livestock value addition and marketing through access to finance and credit

Improving livelihoods of livestock smallholders and other value chain actors’ through livestock value addition and marketing is constrained by the lack of access to finance, working capital, affordable quality inputs and well-structured value chains. Unlike other agricultural sub-sectors such as crops, fruits, and vegetables, financing livestock activities, especially fattening and finishing activities, through financial institutions or value chain actors is very scarce. Livestock smallholders usually cannot provide enough collaterals (like land title deed or physical assets) to get loans from financial institutions, and value chain finance in this sector is not well developed. However, there are a few examples from developing countries in Africa, Asia and Central and South America where financial products and mechanisms have been developed to help smallholder livestock producers access working capital and add value to their product.

This conference aims to:

• Demonstrate viable and financially sustainable business case models on the low cost feeding regime
• Provide segmentation of the value chain actors and create smart linkages
• Share experiences and research involving access to finance/credit for smallholder livestock producers and other value chain actors
• Support a dialogue between livestock value chain actors, financial institutions, scholars, private sectors companies (input and service providers), and governmental institutions
• Discuss how to scale-up and replicate success stories from the sector to other developing countries and regions.

The following topics will be discussed during the conference:

• Institutional environment necessary to transform and support the commercialization of smallholder livestock farming
• Smallholders and livestock value chain actors access to credit
• The role of micro-credit institutions in financing livestock value chain
• Value chain finance mechanisms for the livestock sector in developing countries.

The Conference’s Scientific Committee invites authors to submit abstracts for presentations at the
Conference. There will be two types of presentations: oral and poster presentations.

• February 21, 2017
  • 8:00 am - 9:30 amRegistration
  • 9:30 am - 10:00 amWelcome remarks & setting the scene
  • 10:00 am - 10:30 amTea & coffee break
  • 10:30 am - 11:15 amPlenary Session 1Karl Rich – “Perspectives on improving financial access for livestock value chain development”
  • 11:15 am - 1:00 pmContributed Papers Session 1Smallholders Access to Credit (5 papers)
  • 11:15 am - 1:00 pmContributed Papers Session 2Value Chains and Market Participation (5 papers)
  • 1:00 pm - 2:00 pmLunch
  • 2:00 pm - 3:30 pmFarmers’ Round Table
  • 3:30 pm - 4:00 pmTea & coffee break
  • 3:45 pm - 4:30 pmPlenary Session 2Kennedy Dzama “Smallholder livestock production and market participation in Southern Africa: Lessons learnt.”
  • 4:30 pm - 5:50 pmContributed Papers Session 3Governmental Schemes and Private Funding Models (4 papers)
  • 5:50 pm - 6:00 pmWrap-up Day 1
  • 7:00 pm - 9:00 pmConference Dinner
• February 22, 2017
  • 8:00 am - 8:45 amPlenary Session 3Calvin Miller – “Inclusive value chain financing and investment for livestock”
  • 8:45 am - 10:30 amContributed Papers Session 4Economic Valuation of Value Chains (5 papers)
  • 8:45 am - 10:30 amContributed Papers Session 5Livestock Production, Efficiency and Marketing (5 papers)
  • 10:30 am - 11:15 amOfficial opening by The Honorable Minister of Agriculture – Moses Vilakati
  • 11:15 am - 11:30 amTea & coffee break
  • 11:30 am - 1:00 pmBanks and Financial Institutions’ Round Table
  • 1:00 pm - 2:00 pmLunch
  • 2:00 pm - 3:45 pmContributed Papers Session 6Agricultural Credit Impact Assessment and Regional Trade(5 papers)
  • 3:45 pm - 4:15 pmTea & coffee break
  • 4:15 pm - 5:30 pmImplementing Agencies and Donors’ Round Table
  • 5:30 pm - 6:00 pmWrap-up and closure
• February 23, 2017
  • 7:00 am - 7:00 amAssembly point of participants and departure to field visits
  • 7:00 am - 12:30 pmField visits
  • 12:30 pm - 1:30 pmLunchBrown bag / takeaway lunch
  • 1:30 pm - 4:30 pmVisit to a handicraft Swazi shop
  • 4:30 pm - 5:30 pmTravel back to the hotel / assembly point

Submission Guidelines

Participants will exchange ideas during a series of parallel sessions, where both oral communications
and posters will be discussed. Farmers from a number of Southern African countries will be invited to
share their experience.

Particular emphasis will be placed on sessions mixing disciplinary perspectives and a showcase of
innovative approaches from the field. Field visit will be organized for participants to learn more about
the achievements of the ongoing project “Innovative Beef Value Chain Development Schemes in
Southern Africa” led by ILRI and funded by IFAD.

By the end of the conference we expect participants to have a better understanding of the different
commercialization models and financial mechanisms that allow smallholder livestock producers and
value chain actors to access credit. We hope that the conference will become a starting point for
increased collaboration between the financial institutions and the livestock value chain participants in
Swaziland and the region.

Distinguished keynote speakers and up to 70 delegates, including key livestock value chain actors from
developing countries and innovators from the field, are expected to attend the conference. The forum is
organized by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in partnership with the Swaziland
Water and Agricultural Development Enterprise (SWADE) and the Micro Finance Unit – Swaziland
(MFU), with financial support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and as
part of the research on value chains under the CGIAR Research Program on Policies, Institutions, and
Markets.