Market assessment approach was based on both desk and field research. The outcome of our on-to-one interviews with farmers, in addition to our Focus Group meetings with Farmers at both areas of Azraq and Mafraq has revealed that the Agricultural Credit Corporation (ACC)along with its Islamic type of financing in banking is an areas of preference to Farmers. ACC being more specialized along with the know how in agriculture sector is a preferred channel to farmers other than any other commercial and Islamic Banks.
In order to understand and analyze the value chain in agriculture, the finance scheme was divided into two main quadrants:
1. Demand side: Identified to cover farmers at the target agriculture areas of Azraq & Mafraq (the highlands). We have randomly selected small farms owned by locals (less than 200 dunums), as well as mid-sized farms owned by investors (areas between 200 and 1000 dunums), and large farms of more than 1000 dunums.
2. Supply side: Identified to cover the following three types of the existing financing mechanism in the agriculture sector:
a) Formal Sector.
b) Semi-formal Sector.
c) Informal Sector.