Access to external finance for smallholder forest and farm producers is limited, hindering their effective action on climate, nature, livelihoods and food security. However, forest and farm producer organisations (FFPOs) can mobilise internally-generated finance. 

This briefing maps three stages and 11 steps that FFPOs use to establish savings groups and larger financial cooperatives. It describes how these accessible, flexible, trust-based financial mechanisms meet diverse member needs, strengthen solidarity, empower women, increase climate resilience and fund sustainable, productive activities, often at significant scale. 

These mechanisms also build financial track records, reducing perceptions of risk and increasing access to external finance. They can effectively provide an efficient channel to deliver climate and nature finance to the local level.