Microfinance has become an important component of development, poverty reduction and economic regeneration strategy around the world. By the early twenty first century tens of millions of people in more than 100 countries were accessing services from formal and semi-formal microfinance institutions (MFIs). Much of the initial attention on microcredit came through work on Bangladesh's much-lauded Grameen Bank but, there are now many different 'models' for microfinance and many countries have substantial microfinance sectors.

This timely book, written by one of the major players in...

This book reveals a dynamic picture of African rural society in which production patterns change rapidly in response to market opportunities. These changes are driven largely by local farmers' initiatives, and are often associated with an increase in market-based access to land that is evident under both customary and private land tenure. North America: Africa World Press