Deep in the Meru region of Kenya, Shalem Investments has witnessed firsthand the effects of shifting weather patterns and climate change on its community. Much of Kenya is experiencing the worst drought in 40 years, with devastating consequences for farmers of “thirsty” crops like maize. As a grain aggregator and climate action leader, Shalem is building a local market…
Read moreTopics: Environment |
This article originally appeared on the blog of Cooperative Coffees, a Root Capital partner. PHOTOS: James Rodriguez. At Root Capital, we’ve always believed in the power of small-scale, organic agroforestry to contribute to climate stabilization and increased resilience. In our conversations and visits with partners over the years, we’ve seen that producers’ work to plant and conserve…
Read moreTopics: Environment | Mexico and Central America | Partnerships | South America | Stories of Impact |
Most people in Western Uganda are farmers, dependent on the land and predictable weather patterns for their livelihoods. But climate change has led to unpredictable weather and increased natural disasters. Intense floods have caused mudslides that devastate farmland, while extreme droughts have dried out coffee berries, affecting crop yields, coffee quality, and, ultimately, the income of farming families. “At…
Read moreTopics: East Africa | Environment | Stories of Impact | Women in Agriculture |
Smallholder farmers across the world are on the frontlines of the climate crisis, with rising temperatures, droughts and floods, and severe storms threatening their livelihoods. Through our Climate Resilience Initiative, Root Capital connects agricultural enterprises with urgently needed resources, including localized data on climate risks, best practices for mitigation and adaptation and capital for climate-smart investments. We recently sat down…
Read moreTopics: Environment | Staff Profiles |
Eighty-five percent. That’s how much of our world’s need for climate finance is unmet according to the Climate Policy Initiative. As we bear witness to the ever-increasing threats of climate change on the world stage, we continue to fall far short of what’s needed. Only 1.7% of global climate finance is directed to smallholder agriculture. Meanwhile, rural communities,…
Read moreTopics: Environment | News and Announcements |
High in Rwanda’s southern mountains, farmers grow some of the highest-quality coffee on Earth. The volcanic soil gives beans a rich flavor that commands a premium price on the international market. But this specialty coffee is at risk-as are the livelihoods of the 400,000 smallholder farmers in the country who depend on it. According to Jean Baptiste Munezero, the agronomic…
Read moreTopics: Advisory Services | Digital Business Intelligence | East Africa | Environment | Stories of Impact |
In this remote corner of Sumatra, Indonesia, thirty-foot long pythons slither across the jungle floors as leopards prowl the canopy above. The Leuser Ecosystem covers an awe-inspiring landscape from the peaks of towering mountains to the depths of peat-rich bog lands. This ecosystem is the last place on earth where orangutans, rhinos, elephants, and tigers coexist, and it’s a safe…
Read moreTopics: Environment | Southeast Asia | Stories of Impact |
Rosendo Pineda, an employee of the Montaña Verde coffee cooperative, surveys the damage shortly after Hurricane Iota. Last November, the farmers of San Luis Planes were preparing for their annual harvest when Hurricane Eta wracked the Honduran countryside. The community, already reeling from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, had less than two weeks to recover before the even larger…
Read moreTopics: Advisory Services | Digital Business Intelligence | Environment | Mexico and Central America | Stories of Impact |
While you sip your morning brew, consider this: By 2050, the area suitable for most coffee production is expected to decline by around 50%. The culprit? Climate change. Your daily dose of coffee depends on specific climate conditions, mostly found in mountainous regions of the tropics. But climate change is shifting conditions in coffee-growing regions, primarily through higher temperatures,…
Read moreTopics: Advisory Services | Environment | Stories of Impact |
This week, Hurricane Iota became the strongest storm ever to hit Nicaragua. The category four storm ripped across the country with torrential rains and winds topping 155mph, mere weeks after the same communities were devastated by Hurricane Eta. In Nueva Segovia, Nicaragua, the 550 members of the Flor de Cafe coffee cooperative…
Read moreTopics: Environment | News and Announcements |
