Afghanistan National Horticulture Development Organization (ANHDO) is a national non-governmental, non-profit, and non-political organization registered with the Ministry of Economy and established in April 2009. The development of ANHDO is part of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL) long-term strategy for the development of the horticulture sector in Afghanistan. Since then, ANHDO has developed into an important institution for horticulture development by comparing among other skilled and experienced Afghan professional organizations in the horticulture sector. ANHDO is operating in close coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL) based on a separate Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Hence, ANHDO is a cornerstone of the long-term strategy for the development of the horticulture sector in Afghanistan. 

 ANHDO is currently looking for a Cooperatives and Access to Credit Feasibility Study Advisor for its project "Promoting resilient and equitable recovery of agriculture and livelihoods in Afghan communities (PREVALE), Afghanistan”, which is funded by (FCDO).

Position Summary:
 The Advisor will lead the assessment of cooperatives and the feasibility of improving access to credit for smallholder farmers, farmer groups, cooperatives, women-focused groups, and rural MSMEs under the PREVALE project. The role involves conducting desk reviews, stakeholder consultations, market and financial service provider mapping, cooperative assessments, and value chain financing analysis.

The Advisor will identify and evaluate suitable credit access models, assess the readiness and sustainability of cooperatives and farmer groups, and develop practical recommendations for safe and inclusive access to finance. The position will also produce key deliverables, including a feasibility study report, NGO guide/manual on credit readiness, pilot concept note, and implementation action plan.

In addition, the Advisor will facilitate stakeholder validation workshops, present findings to project partners, and provide technical backstopping during the pilot preparation phase to ensure effective implementation, learning, and adaptation of selected financing approaches.

Overall purpose of the assessment:

The purpose of the activity is to support ANHDO to design and conduct a focused feasibility study on how PREVALE can support smallholder farmers to access existing credit in the current Afghanistan context, either through cooperatives or other effective platforms. The Advisor will lead or technically support the desk review, mapping, consultations, feasibility analysis, practical guide/manual development, pilot concept design, and technical backstopping required to identify realistic, safe, and pilot-ready access-to-credit pathways for PREVALE Phase 2.

Specific Objectives

1.  Review existing literature, mapping, studies, programme documents, and available information on formal and informal credit access in Afghanistan, with particular attention to smallholder farmers, rural enterprises, cooperatives, producer groups, and value chain finance.

2.  Use existing analysis, including the SPARC informal credit briefing note and informal credit typology, to frame the study and avoid duplication of previous research.

3.  Map currently operational credit providers and mechanisms, including microfinance institutions, banks where relevant, the Agricultural Development Fund or similar mechanisms where operationally relevant, Islamic finance providers, informal credit providers, input supplier credit, trader-linked finance, savings groups, and NGO-linked finance initiatives.

4.  Assess the current functionality, governance, market engagement, financial management capacity, and credit-readiness of cooperatives and alternative farmer collective structures in selected PREVALE locations.

5.  Analyze demand for agricultural credit among smallholder farmers, cooperative members, producer groups, livestock owner groups, MSMEs, women-led groups, and returnee/host community livelihood actors where relevant.

6.  Assess supply-side readiness and constraints among credit providers, including lending criteria, risk perceptions, geographic coverage, product suitability, Sharia-compliant options, collateral/guarantee requirements, and willingness to engage with farmer groups.

7.  Analyze why cooperatives or similar collective entities have historically failed, struggled, or succeeded in Afghanistan, and identify practical lessons for PREVALE.

8.  Identify viable credit access pathways, including cooperatives, producer groups, savings groups, MSME platforms, aggregation enterprises, embedded value chain finance, and provider partnership models.

9.  Develop a practical NGO guide/manual on how to support farmer groups or collective entities to become credit-ready and engage safely with existing credit providers.

10.  Prepare a pilot concept note and action plan for selected PREVALE locations, including clear roles, readiness criteria, risk mitigation, and learning indicators for early piloting during the current project year.

1. Scope of work

1.1 Desk review and evidence consolidation

The Advisor will begin with a desk-based review of existing evidence and mapping. This step is essential to avoid duplication and to ensure that the feasibility study adds new practical knowledge rather than repeating what is already known.

·      Review available studies, mappings, programme reports, value chain assessments, policy notes, and briefing notes on agricultural credit, rural finance, informal credit, microfinance, Islamic finance, cooperatives, producer groups, savings groups, and value chain finance in Afghanistan.

·      Review the SPARC informal credit briefing note and informal credit typology and apply it where useful for framing informal credit realities, farmer borrowing behavior, and risk considerations.

·      Review relevant World Bank/ADF analysis on microfinance in Afghanistan and any other accessible analysis shared by Afghanaid, FCDO, ANHDO, financial service providers, or sector actors.

·      Review ANHDO AVCA reports, PREVALE assessment findings, and existing information on farmer groups, producer groups, livestock owner groups, MSMEs, value chain actors, and market systems in the six PREVALE provinces.

·      Prepare an evidence matrix showing source, year, geographic coverage, key findings, relevance to PREVALE, and remaining information gaps.

1.2 Demand-side assessment

The Advisor will assess farmer-side and group-side demand for credit, credit-readiness, repayment capacity, existing debt practices, and potential risks. This assessment should be light but sufficiently practical to inform pilot design.

·      Assess credit demand among smallholder farmers, cooperative members, producer groups, livestock owner groups, women-focused economic groups, MSMEs, and other relevant rural enterprise actors.

·      Review seasonal cash flow, agricultural investment needs, input purchase cycles, livestock-related financing needs, post-harvest/value addition needs, savings practices, existing debt systems, and informal borrowing patterns.

·      Assess group-level readiness, including governance, member participation, recordkeeping, trust, market engagement, conflict resolution, and ability to manage collective responsibilities.

·      Identify barriers faced by farmers and farmer groups, including collateral requirements, documentation gaps, legal constraints, literacy limitations, weak business planning, religious concerns, repayment risk, low trust, and fear of indebtedness.

·      Ensure the demand-side assessment does not create expectations that participants will automatically receive loans, grants, inputs, or project-funded financial support.

1.3 Supply-side assessment and provider mapping

The Advisor will map existing providers and credit mechanisms that could realistically serve smallholder farmers, farmer groups, producer groups, cooperatives, rural MSMEs, or women-led economic groups. The mapping should focus on operational reality, not theoretical availability.

·      Map microfinance institutions, banks where relevant, ACGP/ACTED, AKDN-linked financial inclusion or microfinance actors where applicable, the Agricultural Development Fund or similar mechanisms where relevant, Islamic finance providers, NGO-linked finance initiatives, input suppliers, traders, buyers, processors, and informal credit mechanisms.

·      Assess provider products, terms, client eligibility, collateral or guarantee requirements, repayment conditions, service charges or Islamic finance structures, geographic coverage, sector focus, risk appetite, and willingness to work with groups supported by PREVALE.

·      Identify which providers are currently operational or practically accessible in or near the selected PREVALE provinces/districts.

·      Assess the feasibility of different provider engagement models, including direct referral, group readiness support, financial literacy linkage, BDS support, embedded finance through value chain actors, and pilot-based learning arrangements.

·      Prepare a credit provider mapping matrix with clear information that can be used by ANHDO, Afghanaid, partners and field teams.

1.4 Cooperative and collective structure assessment

The Advisor will assess cooperatives and alternative collective structures as possible platforms for credit-readiness and credit access. The assessment should include registered cooperatives and informal or semi-formal structures where relevant.

·      Assess registered agriculture cooperatives, informal farmer groups, producer organizations, livestock owner groups, common interest groups, savings groups, women-focused economic groups, aggregation enterprises, and community-based economic structures.

·      Analyze whether each structure has a clear economic purpose, active membership, transparent leadership, basic financial records, trust among members, market linkages, and potential to engage with external providers.

·      Identify why cooperatives have historically struggled, including weak governance, low member ownership, dependency on donor support, lack of business activity, poor records, weak accountability, and limited linkages to markets and financial service providers.

·      Assess whether alternative structures such as producer groups, LOGs, VSLAs/SILCs, CIGs, or aggregation enterprises may be simpler, faster, and more realistic for Phase 2 piloting.

5.5 Cooperative sustainability and credit-readiness assessment framework

The Advisor will develop and apply a simple sustainability and credit-readiness framework. The framework should be practical enough for field teams to use and should help determine whether a group is ready for external credit, needs internal strengthening first, or should not be linked to credit at this stage.

1.6 Value chain financing analysis

The Advisor will analyze financing opportunities embedded within agricultural and livestock value chains. This is important because farmers may access finance not only through MFIs or banks, but also through market relationships and commercial actors.

·      Assess input credit systems, trader financing, buyer advance payments, contract farming arrangements, aggregation-based finance, processor-linked finance, supplier credit, and other embedded finance mechanisms.

·      Assess whether these mechanisms are transparent, fair, Sharia-sensitive where relevant, accessible to smallholder farmers, and linked to viable market opportunities.

·      Identify which value chains, producer groups, market actors, or MSMEs may provide the strongest entry points for safe and realistic credit facilitation.

·      Assess risks of exploitative terms, tied selling, unequal bargaining power, repayment pressure, group conflict, side-selling, and market price volatility.

1.7 Credit access model options to assess

The Advisor will compare different credit access models. Any model involving project-supported funds or revolving funds should be treated only as an option for feasibility analysis and risk assessment, not as a commitment by ANHDO or Afghanaid to distribute credit.

Key responsibilities of the Advisor

1.  Prepare an inception note, detailed methodology, workplan, stakeholder consultation plan, and deliverables schedule.

2.  Conduct a desk-based literature review and prepare an evidence matrix that summarizes existing research, mapping, and remaining information gaps.

3.  Map operational credit providers and mechanisms relevant to smallholder farmers, farmer groups, cooperatives, producer groups, women-focused groups, and rural MSMEs.

4.  Design practical consultation tools and interview guides for financial service providers, farmers, groups, cooperatives, traders, input suppliers, market actors, PREVALE staff, and implementation partners.

5.  Conduct or technically support targeted consultations with supply-side and demand-side stakeholders.

6.  Assess cooperative functionality, sustainability, credit-readiness, governance, financial management, member participation, market linkages, and risk management capacity.

7.  Analyze value chain financing options and identify commercial actors that could support or facilitate fair and transparent access to finance.

8.  Compare possible credit access models using practical feasibility scoring criteria, including cost, time, risk, inclusion, sustainability, scalability, provider interest, farmer readiness, and pilot suitability.

9.  Develop a practical NGO guide/manual for supporting farmers and farmer groups to become credit-ready and engage safely with existing providers.

10.  Prepare a pilot concept note and action plan for selected PREVALE location(s), with clear responsibilities, safeguards, timeline, and learning indicators.

11.  Present findings to ANHDO, Afghanaid, and relevant PREVALE stakeholders and revise outputs based on consolidated feedback.

12.  Provide technical backstopping from January to March 2027 to support pilot preparation, early implementation planning, learning review, and adaptation.

·      Master degree in Agriculture, Agronomy, Horticulture, or related fields.

·         Minimum 10–15 Advanced professional experience in rural finance, agricultural credit, cooperative development, MSME development, value chain finance, private sector development, or agricultural livelihoods programming

·         Strong understanding of Afghanistan’s agricultural livelihoods, rural market systems, smallholder farming systems, financial inclusion constraints, and current operating context.

·         Experience with microfinance, informal credit, Islamic finance, savings groups, producer organizations, cooperatives, farmer group-based enterprise models, or value chain finance.

·         Proven experience conducting feasibility studies, mapping exercises, stakeholder consultations, and practical programme design for donor-funded projects.

·         Ability to analyze cooperative performance, rural credit models, farmer group sustainability, and market-based financing pathways and translate findings into practical recommendations.

·         Strong facilitation, analytical, reporting, and manual/tool development skills, including the ability to produce donor-facing reports and field-friendly guidance.

·         Understanding of safeguarding, debt risk, conflict sensitivity, confidentiality, women’s safe participation, and ethical research principles.

·         Experience working with ANHDO, NGOs, consortia, local partners, microfinance or market actors, and donor-funded programmes in complex operating environments.