Social and Micro Finance

Patrice Martin of IDEO.org in the U.S. and Devi Prasad Rao from the Arohana Seva Foundation in India will design and prototype a microfranchise system to rent small and mid-sized time-saving agricultural implements for Indian women smallholder farmers to improve their productivity and incomes. The system will be tailored to meet the unique needs of women smallholder farmers, and incorporate financing, training, and equipment maintenance.

Iris Braun of IFMR LEAD in India will expand access to microloans for the poor in Bangladesh by piloting a simple credit-scoring test for rating individuals. Poor households are often in need of small, short-term loans to buffer fluctuations in income, but formally accessing these loans is problematic as most people have no credit score, and/or are unable to complete the application process.