Posted by Kristin Williams  |  January 16, 2019

Photo: USAID/Siegfried Modola Root Capital and the IKEA Foundation are announcing a new partnership, worth €4.8 million, to help 260,000 smallholder farmers in Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda increase their income and adapt to climate change. The grant builds on the success of a previous partnership, through which Root Capital supported dozens of Kenyan agricultural businesses, helping them break the cycle of poverty in rural communities.

Topics: East Africa | Environment | Livelihoods | News and Announcements |

Posted by Will McAneny  |  October 1, 2018

By the time the sun rises at Finca Eskandia, the farm has already come alive.

Topics: Environment | Peace | South America | Stories of Impact |

Posted by Kristin Williams  |  April 9, 2018

Rising temperatures. Devastating storms. Drought. To farmers, this is more than a weather report: it’s a matter of survival.

Topics: Environment |

Posted by Will McAneny  |  December 12, 2017

Thirty years ago, this place looked very different. Nestled in the foothills where the Amazon rainforest meets the towering Andes Mountains, the Peruvian town of San Martín de Pangoa exudes an aura of calm. Life seems to move at a leisurely pace; ambling through the town’s mostly-unpaved streets, you’ll see mototaxis rumble slowly past indigenous women cradling their babies in brightly-colored wool blankets. The hills rising above the town are patchworked with a lattice of small farms, and every moto and pickup truck seems to be laden with nearly-bursting sacks of coffee.

Topics: Environment | Peace | South America | Stories of Impact | Women in Agriculture | Youth |

Posted by Will McAneny  |  November 20, 2017

In Walter Elizondo Naranjo’s office in San Antonio, Costa Rica, hangs a large banner with pictures of pineapple, bananas, and oranges. 100% orgánico, the banner proudly states. Looking at the banner, Walter grins broadly. “This is COOPEASSA.”

Topics: Environment | Mexico and Central America |

Posted by Will McAneny  |  November 14, 2017

Lately, there’s been a lot of buzz about bees—and not all of it’s good. Around the world, honeybees are dying out. But what does this really mean—and how are agricultural businesses addressing this crisis?

Topics: Environment | Mexico and Central America |

Posted by Elizabeth Teague  |  August 3, 2016

When it comes to climate change, the world’s farmers are often portrayed as either victims or contributors. But what if we, instead, viewed them as part of the solution? Farmers have enormous potential to be environmental stewards, conserving vital resources for generations to come. We see this every day in our work at Root Capital. Through “climate-smart” agricultural practices – like  agroforestry production or the use of drought-resistant seeds – farmers are leading the way when it comes to climate change solutions. This new video from Farming First explains how climate-smart agriculture has helped farmers around the world adapt and thrive in the face of a changing climate:   

Topics: Environment |

Posted by Matt Foerster  |  April 29, 2016

This year, the world will consume more coffee than ever before. And industry projections point to growing demand in the years ahead, especially in emerging markets. Take China, for example. During its annual investor meeting last month, Starbucks highlighted that it’s opening the equivalent of one new store in China every day. The problem, however, is that this rising global demand for coffee cannot be met with a dwindling supply.

Topics: Environment | Livelihoods | Mexico and Central America | News and Announcements | Partnerships | South America |

Posted by Kate Hyder  |  February 9, 2016

Sonia Vasquez, agricultural extension officer for COMSA, presenting during the first day of the workshop For many of our clients, agricultural extension is a lifeline for the farm families they serve. “Extension,” as it is known in agriculture circles, is the delivery of agronomic best practices that can help farmers increase productivity, adapt to climate change and increase profitability. In December, we released an issue brief that highlighted, among other things, barriers to effective extension and how Root Capital works to help clients overcome these barriers using a shared value approach.

Topics: Advisory Services | Environment | Mexico and Central America |

Posted by Elizabeth Teague  |  December 2, 2015

Today, we're thrilled to announce the release of our latest issue brief, Investing in Resilience: A Shared Value Approach to Agricultural Extension.  This issue brief is the third in a series supported by the Skoll Foundation and the Citi Foundation.  As world leaders gather in Paris this week for the latest round of climate change talks, there is increasing attention on the role of agriculture as “both a victim of and a contributor to climate change.”

Topics: Environment | News and Announcements |