Dissertation (MA Development Studies)Assessing the role of Village Saving and Lending Groups (VSL-Gs) in improving livelihood of smallholder rice farmers was conducted with an objective to establish how the model contributes to improved livelihood of smallholder rice farmers in Igunga district council. The research design applied in this study was cross sectional since the assessment was meant to be a one time with findings to inform other similar programmes. The sample size for this study was 123 respondents comprising of smallholder rice farmers 82 from VSLGs and 28 Non VSLG members, the remaining 13 respondents were Key Informants from village to council level who were knowledgeable on VSLG in Igunga district. Both quantitative and qualitative research approaches were employed complimented with a participatory approach to undertake in this research. Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) was used for data entry and running the results. Findings from this research indicate that VSLG is a suitable option for accessing finance for rural communities especially for smallholder rice farmers. Small Holder Farmers (SHFs) in the VSLG have financial options which give them opportunity to open small businesses that generate income more regularly and therefore able to store rice stock waiting for a competitive price hence afford social services more easily compared to non-members. This study recommends that the government and other institutions should consider using VSLG as an entry point for introducing agricultural innovations since these groups were observed to be sustainable.