Availability of financial services increased in Kenya, Ethiopia and Zambia
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FAD-supported projects in Kenya, Ethiopia and Zambia have increased the availability of financial services in rural areas. In Kenya and Ethiopia, where impact data is available, this has led to accumulation of assets, improved food security and reduced poverty for farmers. Greater farmer incomes as a result of higher agricultural yields, made possible by expanded access to credit, have resulted in an increase in asset ownership of 54% in Kenya and 56% in Ethiopia. In Kenya, 53% of households reported an average increase in agricultural
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Mikal Khan Lead author, Project Cluster Evaluation
yields of 49%, while in Ethiopia increased yields resulted in an eightfold increase in household income on average. These are just some of the findings that emerge from the latest project cluster evaluation (PCE) report carried out by the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE). Mikal Khan, IOE Evaluation Officer and lead author of the PCE, presented the report during a learning event on 19 July 2023. “What we see is that increased access to finance, especially loans, are put to good use by smallholder farmers, who have