Achieving Sustainable Food Security through Islamic Social Finance: A Waqf-Qard al-Hasan Crowdfunding Model for Malaysian Poultry Farming

This study explores the potential of waqf-based crowdfunding as an innovative alternative financing mechanism to drive the development of Malaysia's non-ruminant livestock sector, with a specific focus on poultry farming. While this sector is increasingly vital for national food sustainability, small and medium-scale farmers face severe capital constraints and restricted access to conventional banking facilities. Concurrently, significant volumes of cash waqf remain underutilized within productive economic sectors. Utilizing a qualitative research design that integrates doctrinal legal analysis with non-doctrinal empirical data including semi-structured interviews and a validation Focus Group Discussion (FGD), this paper identifies critical legal, institutional, and operational bottlenecks. The findings reveal that regulatory voids and fragmented governance frameworks heavily impede the rollout of waqf-crowdfunding initiatives. To bridge these gaps, this study proposes a blended finance framework that merges one-off waqf funding for critical farm infrastructure with a revolving Qard al-Hasan (interest-free loan) mechanism for operational expenditures. Ultimately, this model offers a scalable, Shariah-compliant solution designed to lower financial barriers for farmers, optimize social finance assets, and fortify long-term national food security