In January 2020 IFPRI launched a podcast series, which takes listeners along the IFPRI research journey, including the ups and downs of tackling a development problem, implementing cutting-edge research in remote and underserved settings, and working with partners to help the research make an impact.
Can researchers help develop a financial tool that lowers risk for both farmers and private banks?
This episode features IFPRI Senior Research Fellow Liang You who, in a conversation with Sivan Yosef, tells the story of how IFPRI researchers partnered up with the Government of Kenya as well as private-sector partners in Kenya to develop Risk Contingent Credit (RCC). RCC is a financial inclusion product that allows farmers to get loans for much-needed agricultural supplies, but it also uses insurance to guarantee that banks will be repaid, even during production shocks such as catastrophic drought. It highlights the potential role of the private sector in scaling up solutions for the poor.
Podcast and interview transcript available here.
More episodes available here.