Addressing the agricultural financing gap in Malaysia viaManihahAgricultural Financing Model: will Islamic banks go the extra mile?

Purpose - This paper introduces the concept ofmanihahand develops a conceptual framework to address Malaysia's abandoned lands and food security issues. Design/methodology/approach - This is a conceptual paper based on insights from the existing literature and secondary data on food security, abandoned lands andmanihah. Based on the prevailing gaps, the study proposes a conceptual framework of theManihahAgricultural Financing Model to address Malaysia's abandoned land and food security issues. Findings - The proposed model can address abandoned lands and food security issues due to the new incorporation ofmanihahwithin Malaysia's agricultural and Islamic financial industries' milieu. Research limitations/implications - This is a conceptual paper mainly intended to spark a discussion on the potentiality ofmanihah. Practical implications - The paper contends that Islamic banks have a crucial role in furthering the socio-economic development agenda under the value-based intermediation (VBI). The paper will also be an excellent introduction to Islamic bank practitioners in understandingmanihah's relevance to their daily operation. Originality/value - This paper introducesmanihahas the potential solution to food security issues by utilizing abandoned lands.