MASP IV · Data Platform
East & Central Africa · 2026–2030
Solidaridad
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Access to Finance

Credit, savings groups (VSLAs), savings and input finance.
Limited evidence16 studies · updated Oct 2026

Formal credit reaches few farmers even where information is available, while savings groups (VSLAs, EA$E, community microfinance groups) are the finance channel that works and lasts; engagement with financial institutions largely failed.

Key evidence

  • In the Coffee Resilience programme, over 70% of farmers had easy access to information on agricultural finance, but fewer than 40% in Uganda and fewer than 30% in Kenya and Tanzania took credit, linked to difficult loan terms and a lack of coffee-specific products. PFC · Endline · 2022
  • In CROSL, 13.9% of households had obtained an agricultural loan in two years and 54.6% considered interest rates excessively high, although 71.2% belonged to savings and credit cooperatives. CROSL · Baseline · 2028
  • 80% of Bungoma maize farmers had not accessed credit in the past year; 23% of H4G farmers had accessed agricultural credit at baseline. CSV · BaselineH4G · Baseline
  • In Tanzanian gold-mining communities, 77% of women reported no access to credit; in Buvuma, 20% had a bank or microfinance account (24.3% of men, 11.0% of women). GfG · BaselineNOPP · Baseline
  • PACE's 75 community microfinance groups held shares of TZS 461.6 million, and 46% of households reported access to financial services. PACE · Midline
  • LISEC established 22 VSLAs with 517 women, and 68% of them reported economic independence at endline against 30% at baseline. LISEC · Endline · 2024
  • FOSEK had essentially no financial services, and GTI did not achieve its access-to-finance target through two financial institutions; Golden Line's engagement with financial institutions was limited. FOSEK · Endline · 2021GTI · Endline · 2021The Golden Line programme · Endline · 2020

In figures

Access to credit at baseline% of farmers or women
Agricultural loan in past 2 years, CROSL Ethiopia
Agricultural loan in past 2 years, CROSL Ethiopia
13.9 % of farmers or women
13.9
Accessed credit in past year, maize farmers Bungoma
Accessed credit in past year, maize farmers Bungoma
20 % of farmers or women
20
Accessed agricultural credit, H4G horticulture farmers
Accessed agricultural credit, H4G horticulture farmers
23 % of farmers or women
23
Access to credit, women in Tanzanian gold communities
Access to credit, women in Tanzanian gold communities
23 % of farmers or women
23

Bungoma and Tanzania figures are 100% minus the share reporting no credit access. Questions and recall periods differ by study.

CROSL · Baseline · 2028CSV · BaselineH4G · BaselineGfG · Baseline
Data table
Item% of farmers or women
Agricultural loan in past 2 years, CROSL Ethiopia13.9
Accessed credit in past year, maize farmers Bungoma20
Accessed agricultural credit, H4G horticulture farmers23
Access to credit, women in Tanzanian gold communities23

Change over time

Golden Line (women in gold-mining communities) Tanzania
  1. Baseline 201777% of community women had no access to credit; 11.3% had a bank or savings-group account.
  2. Endline 2020EA$E savings groups judged likely to last because they need few external inputs; trust in groups stayed high.
LISEC (leather sector) Ethiopia
  1. Midline 2022No local institution identified to keep forming VSLA groups after the project.
  2. Endline 202422 VSLAs with 517 women (target 20); 68% of members reported economic independence.

What works

What holds results back

Recommendations for programming

Evidence gaps & caveats

  • Most finance data come from baselines; loan use, repayment and outcomes are rarely tracked at endline.
  • Savings-group impacts are self-reported and not compared with non-members.

Why this evidence rating: Finance is mostly measured at baseline; endline evidence is limited to a few savings-group results.

Source studies (16)