In March, I went on my fourth trip with Root Capital—one very near and dear to my heart because it was to my home country: Honduras. As someone who was born and grew up there—and who has since spent a career working to address the challenges of poverty, climate change, and migration in this region and beyond—it was very meaningful to once again be amid the verdant farms and vibrant communities at the heart of this work...
Read moreTopics: Mexico and Central America |
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 |
In the highlands of Nicaragua, coffee farms dot the countryside, powering an industry worth nearly $500 million. Coffee is a big business-both in Nicaragua and globally-but it’s driven by small-scale farmers who are finding it increasingly difficult to make a living. Here’s what it looks like: Lucía’s* family has grown coffee for generations. But what was once a profitable career…
Read moreTopics: Advisory Services | Livelihoods | Mexico and Central America |
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 |
Since 2007, the all-women AMPROCAL coffee cooperative in Ocotepeque, Honduras has worked hard to connect farmers with higher prices for their coffee on the international market. Starting with just eight members, they’ve grown to over 150 today. That means they’re able to improve livelihoods and grow inclusion for more farmers across the region. For the last four years, Root Capital…
Read moreTopics: Advisory Services | Food Security | Livelihoods | Mexico and Central America | Stories of Impact | Women in Agriculture |
En la península de Yucatán, México, ubicada lejos del mar, la ciudad de Cacaptxa está llena de abejas. En esta comunidad maya, la miel es más que un negocio, es un punto de referencia cultural. Muchas familias han criado abejas durante generaciones. Algunos aún recuerdan cuando la miel se usaba en lugar de las visitas al médico para cerrar las…
Read moreTopics: Advisory Services | En Español | Environment | Mexico and Central America | Partnerships | Stories of Impact | Women in Agriculture |
On Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, nestled far from the sea, the town of Kankabchen is teeming with honeybees. In this Maya community, honey is more than just a business—it’s a cultural touchstone. Families have raised bees for generations. Some can still remember when honey was used in place of doctors’ visits to close wounds and treat cataracts. Lidia Maribel Moo Poot…
Read moreTopics: Advisory Services | Environment | Mexico and Central America | Partnerships | Stories of Impact | Women in Agriculture |
Since the advent of the internet, digital technology has revolutionized the coffee industry. Buyers price their contracts with algorithmic software. Roasters optimize the flavor of their beans by controlling heat to a fraction of a degree. Even baristas use high-tech kits to test the chemical makeup of their brews. But while the world has changed around them, many coffee farmers have been left out.
Read moreTopics: Advisory Services | Digital Business Intelligence | Environment | Livelihoods | Mexico and Central America | Stories of Impact |
"What coffee variety do you think has the lowest quality?” Intelligentsia Coffee’s Director of Sourcing and Shared Value Michael Sheridan asked this question to a room of farmers and business leaders in Honduras last month. “Lempira!” came the unanimous reply. Michael asked a follow-up question: “What is the variety you have planted most on your farms?” Again, the room called out in unison, “Lempira!”
Read moreTopics: Advisory Services | Mexico and Central America | Partnerships | Stories of Impact |
La versión original de este blog apareció en inglés en el sitio web del Pace Able Foundation. La cooperativa cafetalera CECAFE se encuentra en Lonya Grande, el cual es un pueblo ubicado en la región montañosa de la región Amazonas, Perú, a un par de horas en carro de la ciudad principal más cercana. Los socios de la cooperativa viven aún más afuera, por caminos serpenteantes próximos al Parque Nacional Cutervo.
Read moreTopics: Advisory Services | Digital Business Intelligence | En Español | Livelihoods | Mexico and Central America | Partnerships | South America | Stories of Impact |
