The study analyzed level and determinants of women farmers’ access to informal credit in
Singida and Chamwino Districts, Tanzania. The study described socio-economic characteristics
of the women farmers who accessed microcredit from informal sources; determined level of
access to informal micro-finance; and determined socio-economic factors that influenced access
to informal micro-finance. Primary data were collected from one hundred (100) women farmer
informal credit participants using multi-stage random sampling technique. The data were
analysed using three techniques namely; likert scoring and descriptive statistics, and probit
regression estimation. The finding reveals that women farmers had farm size of between 2.3 and
2.4 acres. Majority 94.4% of the respondents had no contact with extension agents and 72% of
interviewed respondents had formal education with 72% of them married. There were relatively
higher levels of access to loans from Village Community Banks (VICOBA) compared to other
informal credit sources. Probit regression estimate showed that farming experience and gross
monthly income exerted positive significant influences at varied critical levels. It was found that
interest rate charged exerted negative significant influences at varied critical levels. Policies
should be made to forge strong linkages between informal and formal financial institutions to
ensure that agricultural credit are channeled from formal financial institutions to women
farmers through recognized informal credit arrangements. The synergy from such linkage will
increase women farmers’ productivity.