Agrifi is a new initiative that increases investment in smallholder agriculture and agribusiness micro/ small/medium enterprises (MSMEs) to achieve inclusive and sustainable agricultural growth. Agrifi will be launched in 2016, together with interested parties and European Financial Institutions. A central feature of Agrifi is that the provision of EU grants will mobilise additional public and private investment. This additional investment is needed to enhance the development impact of investment projects and achieve impact at scale. Agrifi responds to the lack of financing mechanisms adapted to farmers and agri-entrepreneurs, particularly for smallholders and agribusiness MSMEs. Agrifi will be backed-up by a robust component of technical assistance and value chains analysis capacity, to support decision making on investment, to enhance business development and advisory services for farmers and agri-entrepreneurs and to monitor the actions for accountability purposes. Agrifi addresses this situation by providing greater risk-bearing capacity through public money, to encourage project promoters and attract private finance to viable investments which would not have happened otherwise. Agrifi is therefore about addressing a market failure and it finances those actions that have a clear development impact on those who would normally not be reached. This includes smallholders with limited market orientation, vulnerable farmers, women and young farmers and entrepreneurs

1. Agriculture Financing Initiative – AgriFI
Regis Meritan
DEVCO/C1

2. Why is AgriFI needed?
• Increased investment
• High risk in agricultural production
• Additionality
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3. What is AgriFI?
• New initiative for Inclusive and Sustainable Agricultural
Growth
• Multi Stakeholders Alliances on Value Chains
• Access to Market, moving up Value Chains
• Risk capital, guarantees or other risk-sharing
mechanisms and grants
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4. How will it be implemented?
Three pillars:
1. Investment
2. Business Development and Advisory Services
3. Value Chain Analysis for better accountability and
decision making.
• EU blending framework.
• Call for Proposals (Grants).
• Financed out of thematic programmes, as well as
regional and country programmes.
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5. Targets
• Individual investments in the range of € 200,000 - € 5
million. Smaller size investments may be addressed
through Call for Proposals.
• Robust analysis and monitoring framework
• Voluntary Guidelines on the Governance of the Tenure
of land (VGGT) and the Principles for Responsible
Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CFS RAI).
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6. End of presentation
Thanks
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