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The shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa), one of the indigenous tree species in sub‐Saharan Africa, is facing extinction because of its hardwood, which provides the best fuel wood, and its charcoal is the best amongst all tree species in Uganda. To conserve these trees in Northern Uganda, the Community Environment Conservation Fund was implemented to help communities harness its benefits, such as carbon sequestration, microenvironment regulation and income generation through the sale of shea nuts and shea butter. As a result, there was a need to understand the opportunities and challenges in the implementation of the Community Environment Conservation Fund. Qualitative methods like the key informant interviews and focus group discussions were used and a participatory process mapping tool called the Process Net‐Map was applied to identify the actors involved and assess their level of influence in the implementation process, eliciting the opportunities and challenges faced. The research findings showed multiple opportunities in the conservation efforts, including enhanced adoption of community‐conservation by‐laws, positive mindset change towards shea tree and environmental conservation, improved credit access, diversification of income‐generating alternatives and asset creation. However, some challenges existed during the implementation phase, including moral hazard, strategic defaulting, free riding and limited financial resources. Each of these challenges significantly impacted the effectiveness and sustainability of the fund, enlightening the need for adaptive strategies. Some strategies identified were enhancing training, especially regarding fund management and enterprise selection; increasing the startup funds to at least UGX 3,000,000 ($790) per group; incorporating the declining balance approach; and lengthening the gestation period to at least 6 months. By addressing these challenges, more resilient and sustainable conservation efforts can be made, safeguarding the invaluable shea trees for future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Household welfare can be improved through microfinancial institutions' support by providing microcredit programs. The shock of the COVID-19 pandemic caused the impact on household welfare to decrease by 2.6% in 2020 in Bengkulu. This study aims to evaluate the impact of the People's Business Credit (KUR) program on the welfare of business households in Bengkulu Province through the National Socio-Economic Survey of the Central Bureau of Statistics (SUSENAS) for the 2022 wave using the propensity score matching (PSM) method. The study results show that microcredit influences household welfare in Bengkulu. Households receiving KUR had higher expenditures of 8.89% than groups not receiving the KUR program. In addition, age, number of households, education, savings account, marital status, and agricultural business influence KUR program recipient participation. The KUR program is expected to improve the quality of MSMEs and provide recommendations for enhancing KUR program services to related financial institutions.

Copyright of Environmental & Social Management Journal / Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental is the property of Environmental & Social Management Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of KADEM Journal of Women's Studies is the property of Women & Justice Association / Kadin & Demokrasi Dernegi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The concept of qard hasan is an instrument in Islamic economics that emphasizes welfare aspects in its implementation. The concept of qard hasan has been developed into a zakat instrument and has been practiced by several modern Muslim countries, including the country with the largest number of Muslims, Indonesia. This study aimed to explore the implementation mechanism of micro credit-qarḍ ḥasan financing through zakat fund by the National Amil Zakat Agency (BAZNAS) of Indonesia. This study used a qualitative approach involving a literature review of related books and journals. The materials obtained were analyzed using the document analysis method. The results of the study show BAZNAZ has a comprehensive mechanism in the implementation of micro credit-qarḍ ḥasan financing through zakat fund, which includes the receipt of application letters, evaluation of eligibility, sectors worked by asnaf entrepreneurs, application debate, grant of funds, and also monitoring. Thus, it was found that this initiative not only helps asnaf entrepreneurs get capital to start and continue the business, but it is also able to save asnaf entrepreneurs from getting involved in usurious loans, improving the economy of small and medium entrepreneurs. The study found that BAZNAZ also faced several risks to the loans, including applicants falsifying documents, borrowers not paying debt, and business being closed. This study also found that the micro creditqarḍ ḥasan financing through zakat fund is Sharia compliant and certified by many modern scholars such as al-Qaradawi. The concept of qard hasan is an instrument in Islamic economics that emphasizes welfare aspects in its implementation. The concept of qard hasan has been developed into a zakat instrument and has been practiced by several modern Muslim countries, including the country with the largest number of Muslims, Indonesia. This study aimed to explore the implementation mechanism of micro credit-qarḍ ḥasan financing through zakat fund by the National Amil Zakat Agency (BAZNAS) of Indonesia. This study used a qualitative approach involving a literature review of related books and journals. The materials obtained were analyzed using the document analysis method. The results of the study show BAZNAZ has a comprehensive mechanism in the implementation of micro credit-qarḍ ḥasan financing through zakat fund, which includes the receipt of application letters, evaluation of eligibility, sectors worked by asnaf entrepreneurs, application debate, grant of funds, and also monitoring. Thus, it was found that this initiative not only helps asnaf entrepreneurs get capital to start and continue the business, but it is also able to save asnaf entrepreneurs from getting involved in usurious loans, improving the economy of small and medium entrepreneurs. The study found that BAZNAZ also faced several risks to the loans, including applicants falsifying documents, borrowers not paying debt, and business being closed. This study also found that the micro creditqarḍ ḥasan financing through zakat fund is Sharia compliant and certified by many modern scholars such as al-Qaradawi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Microfinance is critical for the development of micro-enterprises and alleviating poverty. However, micro-enterprises are able to get microfinance services, they would face a variety of obstacles, due to the misunderstandings among many stakeholders, microfinance has not acquired widespread acceptance. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate microfinance's impact on the sustainable development of Malaysia’s rural micro-enterprises. Besides, digital finance is integrated into the conceptual model to further investigate their mediating impact. Data was collected from 563 rural micro-enterprises using structured questionnaires, which were then statistically analyzed using AMOS-21. The findings of the study reveal that microfinance has a positive substantial influence on rural micro-enterprises development. Moreover, digital finance partially mediates the relationship. Thus, the study concludes that microfinance institutions are needed to adopt digital finance to enhance micro enterprises’ productivity through low transaction costs. The findings of the study can be useful to policymakers in the micro-enterprise sector who have a long-term vision and expect the sector to develop steadily. The study also provides scope and space for future academics and scholars to conduct further research.

Facilitating entrepreneurship through micro-credit, micro-franchise, and micro-consignment potentially helps to alleviate desperate poverty. However, the effectiveness of these facilitators have varied from positive outcomes of poverty alleviation to negative outcomes of increased debt. Therefore, we seek to understand: how and why are different facilitators of entrepreneurial activity at the Base of the Pyramid (BOP) relatively more effective at alleviating poverty? Building on the foundation of person-entrepreneurship fit, we introduce the construct of person-facilitator fit and develop propositions about how and why the fit between entrepreneurs and the different facilitators of entrepreneurship may influence poverty alleviation. Specifically, using a remediation perspective, we explicate how the demands-abilities and needs-supplies fit between an entrepreneur and the different facilitators of micro-credit, micro-franchise and micro-consignment moderates the likelihood of poverty alleviation and how person-facilitator fit moderates the magnitude of poverty alleviation over time. We offer theoretical and practical implications of our framework for different perspectives (remediation, reform, and revolution) on entrepreneurship and poverty alleviation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The provision of formal micro-credit for refugees has been promoted as a dignified way to improve their ability to generate income through small-scale enterprises and reduce poverty. As humanitarian funding declines in protracted displacement situations, such approaches are sought to transform refugees into self-reliant, resilient, entrepreneurial agents who are no longer dependent on aid and can overcome a crisis with their own resources and financial confidence. The paper in hand questions this claim on the basis of new, comprehensive empirical insights on the financial lives of refugees in non-camp settings in Jordan. By applying the perspective of the credit users, not the suppliers, our evidence shows that the pervasive use of debt (mostly informal) does not signify latent demand for formal micro-credit. In a context where refugees face restrictions on right to work, move, set up businesses, and imagine a future in the host country, formal credit cannot improve self-reliance. The paper sheds light on a larger variety of sources of debt that are crucial for refugees to manage their lives. In conclusion, the paper argues that the rhetoric around micro-credit as a path to refugee self-reliance has to be re-visited as problematic, even damaging, and humanitarian actors should push this agenda with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring food security for the population is important for the quality of human capital to promote economic growth. Moreover, micro-credit can affect food security of the population, and the effect depends on the context; that is to say, being specific to countries and even regions within the same country. This paper investigates the role of micro-credit in attaining food security in Benin. The study makes use of the survey data from the 2017 Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis (CFSVA) of Benin. Two indicators, namely food consumption categories (poor, limit and acceptable) and food security classes (severe food insecurity, moderate food insecurity, limit food security and food security) are used to capture household food security. Owing to the ordered nature of the different categories of these two indicators, and the fact that access to micro-credit is not random and may be subject to selection bias (unobservable factors may affect financial inclusion), the paper relies on an extended ordered probit regression. In addition, the same type of model is used to investigate the effect of food purchase financing by micro-credit on food security. The findings show the endogenous nature of access to micro-credit, suggesting that the unobservable factors that increase the probability of having access to micro-credit reduce food consumption and increase food security. Moreover, the findings indicate that access to micro-credit has a positive effect on the food consumption categories, but the effect is negative on food security classes. For instance, access to micro-credit increases the likelihood of the household to have an acceptable food consumption and decreases that to have a limited food consumption and also that of a poor food consumption. In addition, using micro-credit for food purchases has a positive effect on food consumption categories and has no significant effect on food security. These findings suggest that policy-makers could intensify policies to improve access to micro-credit. In addition, ways in which households can stop diverting or reorienting micro-credit, as this sometimes negatively affects their food consumption category (poor) and their food security class (severity) could be examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through qualitative research conducted in the bazaars of Bishkek, this paper examines the posited tripartite relationship between the free market, micro-finance and women's empowerment by focusing on how loans from micro-finance institutions in Bishkek influence the lives of female loanees. The neo-liberal conception of 'individual autonomy' and 'empowerment', it is argued, may not adequately serve as indicators of actual female empowerment/disempowerment in Bishkek and lead us to fail to recognize moments of self-exploitation and forms of claim-making. The research also underlines the disempowering effects of the affectional burden, that is, the constant sense of anxiety, that the loanees have to manage in order to survive in the neo-liberal business environment, which offers high interest rate loans and exposes the loanees to over-indebtedness. These effects can be followed through the analysis of the role the desire for stability and 'ontological security' plays in the formation of the identities/world views of the loanees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empowerment has been treated as one of the influential poverty alleviation strategies of the day. Various microfinance institutions have emerged with the objective to enhance empowerment, especially for women through different assistance programs. This study attempts to explore the impact of microfinance institutions towards the economic, social, and psychological empowerment of women borrowers using primary data collected through a structured questionnaire from the backward districts of West Bengal, India. In addition, the study also tries to identify the important determinants of empowerment among such borrowers. Applying t-test, logistic, and ordered logistic regression it has been observed that Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) have a significant role towards betterment in the standard of living and empowerment of such women borrowers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examined the impact of micro-credit facilities on poultry production in Yewa Division, Ogun State, Nigeria. The study described the socio-economic characteristics of poultry farmers, identified the various micro-credit available to the farmers, analyzed the profitability level of the poultry business and the factors affecting amount of credit obtained. One hundred and twenty (120) respondents were randomly selected for the study. The methods of data analysis included descriptive statistics such as tables, mean and percentages. Budgeting technique, which yielded net farm income and regression models were used. The result from the study revealed that 50.8% of the poultry farmers were female who in terms of age, 95.8% of the respondents were aged 60 years and below while the study also revealed that 55.0% of the farmers were married as expected. The study also revealed 90.0% of the poultry farmers possessed some form of formal education, which is predominantly at the secondary and/or tertiary level. The result on profitability shows that poultry production in the study area is viable and profitable with an average net farm income of N63,519.57 and benefit cost ratio of 1.22% while return on investment was also 0.22% which implies that for every N10 invested in poultry farming there is an expected return on N22 to earn from the business. The determinants of credit obtained are age, family size, sex and interest on loan. For high production and profitability, it is recommended that effective agricultural policies and programmes should focus on how to improve farmers’ access to credit and low interest rates on loans obtained so as to increase net farm income of the poultry farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose- The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of micro credits received from Imam Khomeini Relief Committee on the empowerment of the female heads of rural household in the central part of Zanjan City. Design/methodology/approach- This is a descriptive-analytical study based on observation, interview and questionnaire. The statistical population of the present study consisted of female heads of rural households covered by Imam Khomeini Relief Committee in 38 villages of central Zanjan County. To achieve the objectives of the study, all female headed households in 38 villages of central Zanjan (n = 110) were selected using whole population count method. The data collection was conducted using library analysis and field surveys, and the main research instruments were interview and questionnaire. The questionnaire mainly consists of closed-ended questions and answers are rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Finding- Micro-credit had the greatest impact on social empowerment of female-headed households and there was a positive relationship between the allocated credit and economic empowerment of female-headed households although the coefficient indicated a weak correlation between the two variables. In addition, these micro-credits contribute to the economic empowerment of female heads of rural households by improving the employment opportunities and income. Practical implications- In light of the financial weakness of rural women, it is suggested that educational classes be organized to improve rural women's empowerment and their access to credit and financial resources through the establishment of cooperatives. Originality/value- The present study explored the capabilities of rural women in different dimensions influenced by micro-credits. The results of this study can help rural development planners and policymakers enhance women empowerment in rural communities.

Research objective: Identify problems and substantiate ways to develop the non-bank microcredit market in Ukraine. The set of methods of scientific knowledge, including methods of scientific abstraction and logical-dialectical (in the study of the content of microcredit) are applied in the work; statistical and graphical analysis - for analysis, comparison and visualization of statistics (in the process of researching current trends of the national micro-credit market) and empirical research methods. The essential characteristics of microcredit have been clarified and its role in consumer lending has been defined. The main factors that negatively influence the creation of an effective and high-quality non-bank micro-credit market in Ukraine are highlighted, and state levers are proposed to increase the attractiveness, transparency and reduce the risks of the non-bank micro-credit market. In turn, this will have a positive effect on the country's economic development, social well-being and private financial stability of the population. The paper on "The current state and trends of non-bank microcredit in Ukraine" substantiates the main directions of regulation of non-bank microcredit in consumer lending to economic entities in conditions of socio-economic instability. This will create favorable regulatory and institutional support for the non-bank microcredit market.

Evidence suggests that smallholders are fast becoming one of the largest micro-credit recipient groups in Bangladesh. However, the literature on the effects of micro-credit use among smallholders is surprisingly deficient. This article seeks to rectify this gap by highlighting the ramifications of micro-credit's foray into the subsistence agriculture sector. It analyses the ostensibly disparate processes of mounting smallholder indebtedness and the phenomenal rise of micro-finance institutions in Bangladesh in light of the country's broader context of agricultural commoditisation, input subsidy reduction and a systematic lessening of the subsidised agricultural credit system. The article uses the concept of "accumulation by dispossession/encroachment" to argue that persistent borrowing from micro-finance institutions (MFIs) exposes smallholders to the risks and volatilities of the market. Using qualitative insights from a case study of three villages, it demonstrates how the capital accumulation model of Bangladeshi MFIs marginalises smallholders and ensnares them in a perpetual cycle of debts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Drèze and Sen are not entirely right in their apparent glorification of the roles of nongovernmental organizations in Bangladesh in An Uncertain Glory: India and Its Contradictions because they leave out and/or de-emphasize some important issues, especially those that are related to the problematic trusting relationship between nongovernmental organizations in Bangladesh and rural poor women. Nongovernmental organizations' use of trust disturbs social solidarity in rural Bangladesh mainly because of their massive supervision mechanism that they undertake to sustain the so-called trusting relationship between them and their debtors. The massive supervision mechanism damages social solidarity also because it creates a tension between local norms and nongovernmental organizations' neoliberalist values of "discipline, efficiency and competitiveness," which nongovernmental organizations try to inject into villagers by their numerous social engineering programs, which are state's responsibility. Nongovernmental organization monitoring has some psychological impacts on their clients that also contribute to shaking social solidarity. The absence of a proper trusting relationship between nongovernmental organizations and rural poor women reduces the capabilities of the latter as a result of which Drèze and Sen's glorification of Bangladeshi nongovernmental organizations and Sen's capabilities approach are in tension. However, there are strategies that Bangladeshi nongovernmental organizations should employ to address the issues raised due to their massive supervision mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Crop Maximization Project (CMP) was initiated with the help of Government of Pakistan which aimed at uplifting the socioeconomic conditions of the small farmers through various agricultural interventions. One of the important and essential interventions of CMP was micro-credit facilities to small farmers. The current research study focused on the core objective of the CMP aimed at finding out the effect of micro-credit intervention on small farmers and how their socioeconomic status improved during the span of the project. The project was introduced to the two Union Councils (UCs), the Rajjar-II and Sarki Tetara, of District Charsadda. These two UCs were purposively selected to collect 150 samples for the study. A wellstructured interview schedule was developed to collect data which was pre-tested before starting the actual process of data collection. The total sample size of the study area was 150, randomly selected for interviews. After the data analysis, it was found that the majority of the respondents (83.3%) who were small farmers acquired and utilized micro-credit in establishing income generating entrepreneurs, purchased quality seeds, fertilizers and small scale modern technology. These innovations brought substantial enhancement in their farm productivity and income that ultimately improved those farmers' socioeconomic position. However, 16.7% of the respondents' remains deprived of acquiring the micro-credit facilities of the project where no change in their livelihood conditions was observed. Overall, this study has significant association between the socioeconomic development of small farmers and micro-credit intervention of CMP. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that micro-credit facilities should be provided to all farmers under any prospective agriculture projects to achieve optimum results in farmers' farm productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the role and importance of bank credit in the financial support for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises. The main problems of bank lending to business entitie are revealed. The motivational relationships of small and medium-sized enterprises and banks are described in terms of production need, financial capacity and economic feasibility in their credit relations. The role of state support in establishing market relations between small businesses and banks is emphasized. Much attention is paid to the internal problems of small business that impede their lending process by banks. The paper is focused on consumer and partner interaction between banks and small and medium-sized enterprises. The role of banks and local authorities in stimulating innovation and investment activity of small business is defined. The directions of stimulation of small business micro-crediting and the role of microfinance organizations in the financial support of small and medium-sized enterprises under crisis and post-crisis conditions are outlined. Due to the fact that in Ukraine micro-credit is developing only in two directions (in cooperation with international financial institutions by domestic banking and granting micro-credits to small businesses with reimbursement of interest share in the framework of commercial banks cooperation with local authorities at the regional level, therefore the combination of banks and non-banking microfinancial organizations into two-level micro-lending system is the most successful mechanisms. It is evident that the most important task for such mechanism implementation is legislative support of microfinance institutions operation and their activity within their rights and duties, making it possible to develop uniform standards of microcredit procedure regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through Michael Silverman’s summer Travel Study Thailand program, UCLA students have had the opportunity to share in the women’s daily activities, delivering meals to women living with HIV/AIDS, designing and selling naturally tie-dyed bags and personal accessories, vending baked goods at the local market, and participating in environmental restoration activities. During the 2009 summer program, one group of UCLA students engaged with these women for their capstone community research project on sustainable livelihoods. One result is their development of a new collaborative called Women’s Initiatives for Local Livelihoods (W.I.L.L.). The students share highlights from their experience in this article.