Food Security and Financial Inclusion

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https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/food-security-and-financial-inclusion-tickets-1042655780507

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgVxivJLZKI&t=3835s

FIF MICROFINANCE SPOTLIGHT EVENT:

Please join the UK’s Financial Inclusion Forum for an evening of learning and connection spotlighting innovative microfinance partnerships with food retailers in the UK leveraging the power of financial inclusion to combat food poverty and insecurity here and internationally. 

FIF seeks to build on the attention brought to this topic at the European Microfinance Platform (e-MFP) 2023 Microfinance Awards. The European Microfinance Award 2023,  co-organised bty e-MFP, the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade; and the Inclusive Finance Network Luxembourg, in cooperation with the European Investment Bank.

We encourage you to look back at other innovators in the field of financial inclusion and food security featured last year. 

We are pleased to speak with Whole Foods Market Foundation about their strategic partnerships with innovative organisations working with smallholder farmers in new ways to strengthen food resilience and independence as part of their mission to reduce poverty through inclusive finance launched by Whole Foods Market in 2005. 

We are also excited to speak with UK social lender Fair for You about learnings from their upcoming impact report looking at their innovative interest-free credit programme Food Club launched nationally in 2022 in the UK in partnership with Iceland Foods supporting those hit hardest by the Cost of Living Crisis in the UK. 

While never a solution on its own, these case studies show ways that financial inclusion can work with other community structures to build support for struggling households and communities to overcome hunger, invest in more resilient food systems, and combat the effects of market volatility that creates insecurity.

• More than Credit: Unlocking financial access for smallholder farmers to build more secure and resilient food systems: Global farmers are most impacted by volatile markets, climate change and other economic shocks that undermine their ability to provide for their own families and local communities. In this conversation Whole Foods Market Foundation will offer lessons from their inclusive partnerships in West Africa as one example of changing what microfinance for smallholder farmers looks like and in some of the world’s most food insecure areas.

• Making Ends Meet Through the Cost of Living Crisis: Mobilising UK community finance to tackle food insecurity in the U.K. As financial insecurity has climbed in the UK since the start of the Cost of Living Crisis more households are at risk of food insecurity and often pulled toward unaffordable credit or illegal lending to provide basic necessities. Fair for You and Iceland launched a highly innovative partnership to provide small sum, interest-free credit at scale to a demographic in the U.K. that has been hit hard by the cost-of-living crisis.

More about Fair for You: As a not-for-profit online lending company Fair for You was set up to provide finance to families who do not have access to mainstream credit, so that they can purchase critical goods for their home directly from manufacturers. The Food Club is a highly innovative partnership between Fair for You and Iceland Foods, providing small sum, interest-free credit to a demographic that has been hit hard by the cost-of-living crisis. Food Club offers customers of Iceland Foods the opportunity to apply for a card that they can use on-line or in-store to access up to £100 of interest-free credit. Repayments are set at £10 per week, and customers can take out further credit for additional Iceland shops up to six times per year during specific ‘top-up windows’ scheduled around school holiday periods.

• Chris Bennett, Chief Commercial Officer at Fair for You: Chris joined Fair for You in 2015 to support the setting up of the company and obtaining its FCA authorisation. As Chief Commercial Officer Chris is responsible for the commercial success of the business through product development and key partner management. Working directly with retailers, housing associations, local authorities, charities and more he supports the delivery of quality and innovative solutions for customers. 

More about Whole Foods Foundation : Founded in 2005, Whole Planet is a project of Whole Foods Market Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation based in Austin, Texas that encompasses the work of Whole Cities, Whole Kids and Whole Planet. Whole Planet funds organisations that support people living in poverty to meet their basic needs and become more resilient through income-generating opportunities. As of February 2024, Whole Planet is alleviating poverty through partners in 80 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. To date, $113 million has been disbursed through partners worldwide, funding 7 million microloans and 36 million income-generating opportunities for microentrepreneurs and their family members.

• Claire Kelly, Portfolio Director – Whole Planet (West Africa/Middle East Region) at Whole Foods Market Foundation: Claire joined Whole Planet in March of 2013 supporting the African regional portfolio with monitoring and evaluation of existing and new projects before moving to Vietnam as the Asia/Pacific Regional Director. Today she leads Whole Planet’s West Africa/MENA regional portfolio of grant and no-interest loan funding supporting financial services partners to expand income-generating opportunities in the region. Claire also continues to work with partners in South Asia.

Audience:
This event is ideal for those involved in microfinance, socially-minded retail, and individuals passionate about addressing food security. It’s especially relevant for professionals looking to join the growing community of practice around financial inclusion, microfinance innovation, and food system resilience.

Venue:
Beazley Group, 22 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4BQ, London

Agenda
5.30 PM Doors open, Welcome
Panel 1 – International Case Study
Panel 2 – UK Case Study Fireside Chat
Q&A
8:00 PM: Networking and Reception

We look forward to an evening of collaboration and innovative discussion about how microfinance can drive food security.

Register Now

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/food-security-and-financial-inclusion-tickets-1042655780507