Rwanda's economy heavily relies on rain-fed agriculture, making it highly susceptible to climate change impacts such as intense and variable rainfall, prolonged dry spells, and significant soil erosion (averaging 27 million tons/year). This directly affects crop yields and livelihoods. Only 57% of households have access to safe water within 30 minutes, highlighting a critical need for climate adaptation tools like water tanks.

The government prioritizes water management and climate adaptation in its national strategies (e.g., NST 2017-2024, Vision 2050, NDCs), aligning perfectly with Aion Sol's Triple P, Triple C mission.

Our ground for positive change is embodied in the more than 1.15 million cooperative members.

Cooperative Suitability for Financing (Priorities):

• Rice Coops: Lowest risk, high priority (established payment models, large member base).
• Maize Coops: High potential (stable contract farming, e.g., WFP FtMA program).
• Tea Coops: Moderately suitable (organized, rapid digital payments, but price volatility).
• Coffee Coops: Moderately suitable (organized, but price volatility and different needs).
• Potatoes & Export Horticulture: Higher risk (price volatility, governance issues, payment uncertainty) - lower priority for initial financing.

While Rwanda's overall financial inclusion is high (96%), significant disparities persist for rural populations, particularly farmers. Only 17% of farmers access formal credit, often due to a lack of traditional collateral, forcing them to rely on exploitative informal loans that can carry interest rates up to 100%.

• SACCOs (Savings and Credit Cooperatives) are prevalent but face operational challenges.
• Digital Financial Services (DFS) usage among farmers is promising at 68.5%, with 94.1% agreeing DFS is crucial for productivity.
• Rwanda's fintech strategy aims for 80% DFS adoption by 2029, despite challenges like limited digital literacy (44.6% of farmers).