This project addresses the challenge that small-scale aquaculture farmers face in accessing finance while generating positive environmental and social impacts. Financial access is often limited because farms are small scale, have limited financial track records in place, and lack awareness of the financial institutions, products and services available to them.
ASC, in partnership with Finance Earth, will develop and pilot a blended finance facility to support smallholder aquaculture farmers. They aim to secure preferential finance terms by engaging closely with banks and investors. On the other hand, they will work with farmers through their existing ASC Improver Programme to improve their sustainability actions and indicators, in order to encourage this investment.
By the end of the project, ASC hope to have secured written indicative commitments from investors in order to maintain this blended finance facility in the long-term, and will have a greater understanding of how this tool can complement their Improver Programme going forwards.
