IFC and Agreena bring finance and farmers together

Financial institutions can play a vital role in supporting the delivery of a more sustainable farming sector and their interest in doing so is growing. These were the conclusions from two recent seminars, hosted by the International Finance Corporation (IFC), one of Agreena’s partners. 

Agreena and the IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, announced their financial services partnership in September of this year. The partnership aims to help banks support their agricultural customer portfolio in switching to more sustainable farm operations and unlock bank lending to farmers who can face a ‘finance gap’ in the early years of transitioning to regenerative farming. 

Last month, Agreena joined the IFC at their seminars for banks, financial sector actors and government officials in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova and Bucharest, Romania last month. By bringing finance professionals together with farmers, the seminars sought to educate banks on the benefits and challenges of transitioning to  regenerative agriculture.

The seminars were well-attended by key banks and financial institutions eager to gain insights from the keynote speeches and panel discussions. One of the panels featured a dynamic exchange between local Agreena Ambassador farmers and technology providers, focusing on 'The Power of Regenerative Agriculture and Technology'.

Discussions covered the impacts of climate change, the benefits of regenerative agriculture, and how banks can create financial products that take into account the lower risk and greater resilience of soils associated with regenerative agriculture. A key takeaway was the importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing between farmers, financial institutions, and other stakeholders in scaling the adoption of regenerative agriculture.

Interest in supporting sustainability in farming is growing among financial institutions and the partnership between Agreena and IFC is already demonstrating the power of bringing key actors together to build new climate solutions that benefit farming, finance and the environment.

“When I talk to my bank, they are thinking in tonnes per hectare, but as a regenerative farmer, I want them to be asking me about my profit per hectare.” – Razvan Avram, GreenAgro

“As Agreena Ambassadors we are here to help educate the financial sector that working with regenerative farmers is good for both business and the soil.” – Ricardo Luis, Agroholding Contesti SRL

Find out more about Agreena’s financial services solutions here.