Webinar

The current COVID-19 crisis is bringing into sharp relief the vulnerability of agri-food systems and creating new challenges whose repercussions may be felt in the sector for a long time. Among other things, it is showing the limits of our capacity to anticipate shocks and is testing the risk management capacity of all actors active in supply chains, as well as in government, finance, and other sectors. In this context, many agri-SMEs are already suffering significantly from disruptions in supply chains and markets, causing cash flow problems. Many also lack the capital and capacity to undertake the investments that would be required to strengthen their resilience to the enduring crisis and prepare for its likely after-effects.

This is, therefore, an opportune time to take a closer look at the range of tools available in the area of agricultural risk management, and identify those that can be deployed both to address the current crisis, particularly from the agri-SME standpoint, as well as to prepare for its long term repercussions. Such an assessment will also serve to highlight the main gaps or areas where innovative products, delivery mechanisms, or complementary measures are needed. The convergence of interests and experiences of ILO, PARM and SAFIN around these issues provides an opportunity to address them with reference to practical experiences and examples.

The webinar will focus on concrete examples of risk management tools that have been used by financial institutions and other actors to provide financial services to agri-SMEs during and after the COVID-19 crisis. The webinar will open with the presentation of case studies covering specific approaches: describing their original focus or intent, as well as any shift resulting from the pandemic, and sharing an assessment of their impact and lessons learned. This will be followed by a Q&A session before closing with some key conclusions and takeaways from the case studies.

• Language English
• Keywords Agri-SME, Agricultural Value Chains, Coronavirus (COVID-19), Gender, Risk Management