USAID, through a university partnership between Ohio State
University and Colegio de Postgraduados en Ciencias Agrícolas, is
working to facilitate the development and growth of microfinance institutions serving rural areas in Mexico.

They train officials on how to make loans to small-scale farmers in order to increase agricultural production through a Certificate Program in Rural Microfinance.

One of the first participants in the programme was Sidonio Juárez Hernández, the director of a two-year-old microfinance institution called EMPRENDE. Through the programme, Juárez was exposed to new concepts and ideas from international experts, who described their experiences working in other countries and provided technical knowledge on how to be effective in rural areas. He then used this knowledge to develop and fine-tune financial services and products, making EMPRENDE better able to serve rural areas and small-scale farmers, instead of focusing only on small-business merchants, while still ensuring its own growth and sustainability.

Under Juárez’s leadership, EMPRENDE has now moved beyond simple microfinance lending and is also initiating a programme to help its clients grow by offering training and technical assistance in addition to financing. Currently, 240 clients are receiving training in business management, 80 are benefiting from specialized technical assistance, and 66 are getting help in developing business plans.