A Journey Into the Heart of Kenya’s Macadamia-Processing Region

Superfine Africa Nuts employees sort macadamia nuts by hand alongside Root Capital’s Leonor Gutiérrez, Director of the Women in Agriculture Initiative, and CEO and Founder, Willy Foote. Photo credit: Root Capital In September, I, along with my Root Capital colleagues Leonor Gutiérrez, Martin Buyeka, Willy Foote, and Rose Ochieng, had a chance to visit our Kenyan client Superfine Africa Nuts.

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Topics: Environment | Stories of Impact |

Improving Livelihoods and Increasing Smallholder Coffee Farmer Incomes in Chiapas

View overlooking Tenejapa Municipality in Chiapas, where Root Capital client Kulaktik is based. Credit: Root Capital Coffee farms dot the landscape in Mexico’s southernmost state of Chiapas. But coffee production is much more than a key characteristic of the physical landscape in Chiapas-it is also deeply woven into the cultural and economic fabric of the region. Coffee production accounts for…

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Topics: Partnerships | Stories of Impact |

COAS: A Gender-Forward Cacao Cooperative in Peru

Root Capital’s Junior Loan Officer Brayam Quilca Román with cooperative members at the COAS cacao cooperative in Pangoa, Peru. Credit: Root Capital In recognition of National Chocolate Day, celebrated in the U.S. on October 28, we are sharing the story of Cooperativa Agraria Sonomoro Del Vraem Ltda (COAS), a Peruvian cacao cooperative that produces and exports a wide variety of…

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Topics: Stories of Impact | Women in Agriculture |

IN PHOTOS: A Journey of Impact Through Rwanda’s Rich Coffee Landscape

This summer, I traveled to Rwanda for a regional retreat with Root Capital’s Africa Team, followed by several days visiting our clients in the region. It was an insightful journey through the heart of Rwanda’s coffee industry where I explored the captivating landscapes, entrepreneurial innovation, and incredible economic opportunities created and led by agricultural enterprises...

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Topics: Africa | Stories of Impact |

Comon Yaj Noptic: A Small Coffee Cooperative Focused on Sustainability

The Comon Yaj Noptic cooperative is nestled within the buffer zone of El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve, one of the world's most diverse forest reserves, in Chiapas, Mexico. The reserve has a dense cloud forest, which consists of constant low-level clouds that produce a mix of fog, mist, and rain...

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Topics: Environment | Stories of Impact |

Organic Agroforestry as a Climate Solution: Cool Farm Tool Pilot Project Findings and Lessons Learned

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…

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Topics: Environment | Mexico and Central America | Partnerships | South America | Stories of Impact |

How Women Coffee Farmers Are Fighting Climate Change in Uganda

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…

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Topics: East Africa | Environment | Stories of Impact | Women in Agriculture |

Latest Findings: How Two Ghanaian Enterprises are Impacting Farmer Livelihoods

Note: Click here to learn more about how we conduct impact studies in rural communities. In Ghana’s Eastern Region, the world’s first organic- and Fair Trade-certified oil palm enterprise, Serendipalm, sources oil palm fruit from over 500 smallholder farmers. Eight hundred kilometers north, in the Upper East Region, a sorghum aggregator called Faranaya purchases grain from close to…

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Topics: Livelihoods | News and Announcements | Stories of Impact | West Africa |

Our 5 Favorite Stories from 2021

In 2021, rural communities persevered through a relentless pandemic, tore down barriers to gender equity, and innovated novel solutions to the climate crisis. In the face of dire circumstances, the resolve of agricultural enterprises-and the steadfast support of our partners-continued to move the needle for inclusion, equity, and sustainability in rural communities.  In case you missed it, we wanted to…

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Topics: News and Announcements | Our Community | Stories of Impact |

Regenerative Agriculture Is Helping This Coffee Co-op Fight Climate Change

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…

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Topics: Advisory Services | Digital Business Intelligence | East Africa | Environment | Stories of Impact |