Financial Access has entered Vietnam through the Australian Government-sponsored Gender Responsive Equitable Agriculture & Tourism (GREAT) program. Through improved private sector development and better access to markets and finance the GREAT program aims to improve the economic livelihoods of women of ethnic minority groups in north-west Vietnam.

Early April our team went on a field visit to South Sumatra to visit smallholder coffee farmers in the Semendo region. As there is no airport close to the area the team embarked on a 12-hour drive through the beautiful forests that are scattered across Sumatra.

We are proud to announce that FACS is now a member of the Coalition for Private Investment in Conservation (CPIC). The organization facilitates the scaling of conservation investment, with sustainable agricultural intensification as one of it focus areas and therefore perfectly fits the Financial Access strategy to accelerate sustainable smallholder finance at scale.