Microloans driving sustainable farming

Challenge

Across Africa, 80–90% of smallholder farmers remain unbanked. In Rwanda, 5.6 million adults rely on informal savings groups to manage their finances, and more than 80% of these members are smallholder farmers. Without access to climate-smart finance or tailored guidance, those farmers face heightened vulnerability to climate shocks and are often excluded from formal financial systems.

Innovative solution

Exuus developped a climate-smart micro-loan fund designed for smallholder farmers. The solution offers microloans to purchase climate-resilient agricultural inputs. It integrates AI to deliver fair, behaviour-based credit assessments. It also incentivises green farming practices such as the use of drought-resistant crops, organic methods, and efficient irrigation. In addition, farmers receive advisory support through a Kinyarwanda-speaking AI chatbot, providing guidance on climate-resilient techniques.

Impact

• Livelihoods gains improved for more than 260,000 additional smallholders, through access to microloans
• More than 4,000 new agents (60% of them women) onboarded, earning income through commissions
• Higher percentage (75%) of users taking loans to acquire climate-resilient agricultural inputs, practising sustainable farming

Photo credit ©Exuus