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UNCTAD Survey: Financing Organic Agriculture in Africa - Perspectives from African Finance Institutions

This survey has been developed by UNCTAD to collect information from finance institutions professionals to form the basis of an upcoming study on financing Organic Agriculture in Africa*. The objective of this effort is to identify and tackle financial and information barriers to help the development of Organic Agriculture across the African continent. The survey includes 26 questions and takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.

"Organic Agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects". (IFOAM)  For the purpose of this survey, Organic Agriculture will only be understood as certified organic farming (i.e. production under an existing national, regional or foreign organic standard).

Respondents will receive copies of UNCTAD's latest studies on organic agriculture and an advanced copy of the publication which will be based on this survey. Additionally, one selected respondent will be interviewed by UNCTAD and his/her interview will be published on the UNCTAD website.

More information on UNCTAD's work on Organic Agriculture financing

*Names of respondents and their institutions will not be disclosed without their express consent.
1.Name (Required.)
2.Country(Required.)
3.Name of your institution(Required.)
4.Type of financial institution(Required.)
5.Size of your institution(Required.)
Credit Volume, characteristics and trends
6.Does your institution differentiate between conventional agricultural loans and loans to Organic Agriculture?(Required.)
7.In your institution, is there a dedicated team or staff that works on lending to agricultural production and trade?(Required.)
8.How do loans to Organic Agriculture perform in terms of approval rates and lent amounts in comparison to conventional agriculture loans?(Required.)
Higher
Similar
Lower
N/A
Loan approval rate
Lent amounts
9.Does the credit assessment process make note of organic agricultural production and trade differences related to:(Required.)
Yes
No
N/A
Produced quantities
Price premium paid for organic produce
10.Rate the share of the following types of loans in your institution's portofolio:(Required.)
Very high
High
Moderate
Low
Very low
N/A
Agriculture as share of total loan portfolio
Organic Agriculture as a share of agricultural loan portofolio
11.Does your bank offer the following products:(Required.)
Yes
No
N/A
Specific loans for Organic Agriculture
Joint saving and credit plans
Credit to cover certification and training expenses of Organic Farming
Crop insurance
12.What are your perspectives on the changes in agriculture over the past five years?(Required.)
Increased
Remained stable
Decreased
N/A
Overall credit to agriculture
Credit to Organic Agriculture
Market for organic agriculture products
13.Based on your experience, loans for organic agriculture related activities are linked to:(Required.)
14.Indicate the main organic crops (if any) for which farmers have been the most successful in securing loans and explain why this is the case.
15.Rank the following barriers based on their impact on access to finance for conventional agriculture producers:(Required.)
Strongly limits access to finance
Moderately limits access to finance
Does not limit access to finance
N/A
Land tenure regime
Overall level of risk of agricultural activities
Limited guaranties
Small size of the operations
Insufficient return on investment
16.Rank the following barriers based on their impact on access to finance for Organic Agriculture producers:(Required.)
Strongly limits access to finance
Moderately limits access to finance
Does not limit access to finance
N/A
Land tenure regime
Overall level of risk of agricultural activities
Limited guaranties
Small size of the operations
Insufficient return on investment
Risk and guaranties
17.Rate the impact of the following parameters on the likeliness to secure a loan:(Required.)
Very positive
Positive
Neutral
Negative
Very negative
N/A
Organic certification
Fair trade certification
Affiliation to a cooperative
Export contract with an international buyer
Sales contract with national buyer
Price premiums for organic produce on the international market
18.Rate the share of rejected loans requests for:(Required.)
Very high
High
Average
Low
Very low
N/A
Conventional agriculture
Organic Agriculture
Fair trade related agriculture projects
19.Estimate the percentage of non-performing loans for the following credit projects:(Required.)
Up to 30%
Between 30% and 60%
Above 60%
N/A
Conventional agriculture
Fair trade related agriculture projects
Organic Agriculture
20.Which of the following collaterals are commonly presented by the different categories of borrowers?(Required.)
Smallholders
Mid-sized producers
Large producers
N/A
Land title
Crop insurance
Guaranty from a cooperative
Export contracts
Guaranty from an international buyer
Guaranty from a public institution
Domestic sales contracts
Perception of organic farming
21.How would you rate your level of awareness of agriculture and the market for organic crops?(Required.)
22.Please rate the level of risk of the following activities from a lender’s perspective(Required.)
Very high
High
Moderate
Low
Very low
N/A
Conventional agriculture for the domestic market
Export-oriented conventional agriculture
Organic Agriculture to supply the domestic market
Export oriented organic agriculture
Fair trade
23.Why is there an apparent gap in supply and demand for agricultural finance in Africa, in a world context of low interest rates and investors eagerly looking for investment opportunities in developing countries?
24.Indicate the level of availability of the following instruments to support Organic Agriculture:(Required.)
Very high
High
Moderate
Low
Very low
N/A
Subsidies or grants to cover certification costs
Subsidies or grants for the conversion of farmland
Grants to cooperatives of organic producers
Subsidies or grants to provide extension/training or distribute free inputs to farmers
Research grants
Tax exemptions for the purchase of inputs, equipment or related to the sale of organic products
State backed loans or export credit
25.Indicate practices, initiatives or lessons learned that could facilitate the access of Organic Agriculture practitioners to finance.
26.Please provide your email address and phone number if you would like to receive complimentary copies of UNCTAD's latest studies on organic agriculture – and have a chance to be selected for a follow up interview
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