|
Following the 1975 World Conference on Agricultural Credit, FAO promoted the establishment of regional agricultural credit associations (RACAs) consisting of financial institutions providing financial services to small farmers and rural people in general.
The aims of the RACAs are:
- to foster cooperation in improving and planning the financial arrangements for rural and agricultural development;
- to establish among the members, a machinery for systematic interchange of information on sustainable rural and agricultural financial services;
- to encourage and assist in undertaking inter-country studies on matters of common interest in the field of rural finance and to publish and distribute such studies;
- to organize and coordinate training programmes on rural finance and facilitate the exchange of personnel and experts among the members;
- to provide services related to consultancy, research and publications in the field of rural finance;
- to facilitate cooperation on rural finance projects between the members and donors, including assistance in preparing project proposals and implementing projects.
At present, three such regional associations, one for Africa, one for Asia and one for the Near East and North Africa, are very active and have, over the years, become financially and operationally independent from FAO. In the fourth major Region, Latin America, FAO has established a close collaboration with the Association of Development Finance Institutions in Latin America (ALIDE).
The members of the Regional Agricultural Credit Associations include:
- Agricultural Development Banks
- Development Banks
- Central Co-operative Banks
- Commercial Banks
- Central Banks
- Bank Federations/ Associations
- Crop Insurance Corporations
- Ministries of Agriculture
- Foundations, NGOs, Co-operatives
|
