The Financial Access for Rural Markets, Smallholders and Enterprise (FARMSE) Programme is a seven-year nationwide development programme implemented by the Ministry of Finance, Economic, Planning and Development from 2018 to 2025. The programme supports household economic development through access to financial services that are appropriate to each socioeconomic level of poverty.
GOAL
The programme goal is to reduce poverty, improve livelihoods and enhance the resilience of rural households on a sustainable basis.
DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE
To increase access to, and use of, a range of sustainable financial services by rural households and micro, small, and medium enterprises.
1. FARMSE is using the country’s population poverty levels as defined and adopted by the Government of Malawi’s National Social Protection Programme in which a socio-economic analysis of the available data broadly categorizes poor rural Malawian households into the following five categories:
2. FARMSE targeting also considers the overall goal of the program which is to enhance the resilience of rural households o n a sustainable basis through implementation of the following three components:
(a) Ultra-poor graduation upscaling:
This component’s objective will be achieved by providing support to the ongoing
government’s efforts in developing and delivering effective poverty graduation
programmes in rural areas.
(b) Support to Financial Innovation and Outreach:
The component’s objectives will be achieved through a set of two sub components:
i. Support to Community Based Financial Organization (CBFO)
ii. Supportto Innovation and Outreach Facility (IOF)
(c ) Strategic Partnerships, Knowledge Generation, and Policy:
The component’s objectives will be achieved through the following two subcomponents:
i. Support for Poverty Graduation Policy and Systems.
ii. Support for development and/or review of broader and inclusive Rural
Finance Policies and Strategy.