Rural and Agricultural Finance research program is supported by NEDBANK. Strategic issues facing agricultural finance, prompt the need for an objective research and information base for decision-making by farm and rural businesses, their lenders, investors and policy-makers. The NEDBANK Chair in Commodity Finance and Risk (NEDBANK), a finance-focused initiative provides essential information for farm and rural businesses and their capital providers. NEDBANK continuously targets research, education, and problem-solving critical issues in farm and rural business finance. NEDBANK is prepared to meet the challenges of understanding the changing relationships among farm and rural business and their capital providers – an area that is essential to the prosperity of agriculture in South Africa.

The goal of the NEDBANK agribusiness chair in conjunction with the University of Pretoria’s department of Agriculture is to focus on financial, risk and international trade of agricultural commodities. This is to be able to better understand the markets and what is currently happening, and to see what the future could hold in store in this sector. If understood properly, then planning for the future can lead to sustainability and development and mean a better and prosperous agricultural financial sector.