http://www.ruralfinance.orgRSS fileesWed, 08 Sep 2010 07:01:38 GMTCopyright (C) Rural Finance, http://www.ruralfinance.orghttp://www.ruralfinance.org/img/xml.gifhttp://www.ruralfinance.orgEn preparaciónhttp://www.ruralfinance.org/id/73631The 3rd World Congress on Rural and Agricultural Finance will be held in Marrakech/Morocco during the period October 28-30, 2010 in cooperation with and hosted by NENARACA and Credit Agricole du Maroc under the patronage of the Moroccan Government. <p/> The conference aims at promoting and strengthening global cooperation in rural finance for exchange of experience and information, crystallization of basic requirements and procedures of effective rural financial institutions and enhancement of solidarity and unity for a unified stand for support and promotion of effective rural finance for broad based economic growth and equitable and balanced development.<p/>http://www.ruralfinance.org/id/73610"Microfinance Plus" is not a new concept by any means but the large variety of "Plus" innovations in the field are expanding into frontiers which didn't exist ten to fifteen years ago- from insurance and mobile banking to health services and housing. Paul Rippey, Accion's Center for Financial Inclusion sustainable energy raconteur will lead a three day course on Zanzibar to explore some of the exciting ways modern energy innovations are taking a Microfinance Plus approach to market development and scaling up access to clean energy products. Paul will be joined by Harry Andrews founder of Barefoot Power, an up and coming solar LED company, which successfully markets high quality solar- powered LED lamps financed by microloans in Africa and other parts of the globe. Click here for more details http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/smdp/Tanzania-main.html <p/> Another fascinating and early example of Microfinance Plus was the integration of Village Savings and Lending groups into an environmental protection project to save the Jozani-Chwaka Bay forest area in Zanzibar. In the late 1990's CARE Tanzania, the United Nations Global Environment Facility (GEF) along with several other donors joined the local community in Jozani-Chwaka bay to protect the forest, the surrounding mangrove swamps and several species of endangered animals including the Red Colobus Monkey. The VSLA groups provided needed capital infusions to help local community members build more sustainable livelihoods that benefited from the establishment of the beautiful Jozani-Chwaka bay National Park. We are very excited that we will offer two courses which showcase the achievements of this important environmental and community development project in Zanzibar. <p/> In week one of the SMDP-TZ October 11-15 we will take a close look at the dynamics that created this successful community-government-donor project and learn the skills of assembling complex partnerships from diverse groups of stakeholders. This three day course "Developing Successful Partnerships for Community and Environmental Protection" will be co-facilitated by Michel Adjibodou and expert in community-based economic development and George Mkoma from CARE Tanzania who was one of the leaders of the Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park Project. The course will include a visit to the national park and a panel with several of the key stakeholders who guided this environmental success story. <p/> In week two of the SMDP-TZ October 18-23 we will delve deeply into the Community Managed Microfinance methodology which was integral to financing the income generating activities of local residents in and around the Jozani forest. This week long course will be facilitated by Hugh Allen, a leader in Community Managed Microfinance and George Mkoma, the aforementioned CARE staff member who developed the program in Jozani and our guide for field visits to the Jozani Savings and Credit Associations groups. <p/> Deadline for Registration is <b>September 27, 2010</b><p/>http://www.ruralfinance.org/id/73615AgriBusiness Forum in Kampala, Uganda, organised by the Brussels-based non-profit organisation EMRC in partnership with and under the high patronage of the Government of the Republic of Uganda. The Forum will attract over 400 participants, including major economic-growth stakeholders, the public and private sectors, infrastructure investors, entrepreneurs, international agribusiness companies, farmer associations, private equity firms, bankers, financiers, NGOs, researchers, project developers and managers. <p/> The AgriBusiness Forum 2010 will address the business opportunities the global food-security situation presents for agribusiness throughout Africa, reviewing successful case studies and analysing best practices in the agri-food industry. A diverse range of experts from the fields of agribusiness, finance and investment, sustainable development, nutrition and scientific research will address topics such as the role of the private sector in improving access to food, increasing sustainable agricultural productivity and the sourcing of agribusiness finance. Dedicated business-to-business sessions and business networking events will facilitate delegate introductions and encourage partnership-building and project collaboration. <p/> To encourage development, innovation and entrepreneurship in the African agri-food sector, all participants will be eligible to enter their project ideas for the EMRC-Rabobank Project Incubator Award. The US$15,000 grand prize will be awarded to the proposal that best satisfies the entry criteria with a viable, dynamic idea that uplifts and impacts their community. <p/>http://www.ruralfinance.org/id/73618This white paper provides U.S. government program designers with a basis of technical understanding on asset-based financing as an approach to meet the operation and expansion needs of SMEs. It summarizes seven types of asset-based financial products, when and how they may be used in technical assistance interventions, and the programmatic prerequisites necessary to develop a project that provides or reinforces access to asset-based finance as a financing practice for banks and non-bank financial institutions. <p/> The products reviewed in this paper are accounts receivables (A/R) finance; warehouse receipts (WHR); purchase order finance (POF); factoring; leasing; asset-backed securities; and a few of their equivalents in Islamic finance. <p/>http://www.ruralfinance.org/id/73600