Stories of Impact Archives - Page 3 of 8

A More Sustainable Future for Bees—and their Keepers—in Southern Mexico

Posted by Root Capital | June 23, 2020

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…

Harvesting Under Quarantine: One Co-op’s Creative Approach

Posted by Root Capital | June 17, 2020

As the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of resilient, farmer-focused agricultural enterprises have never been clearer. For example, in Colombia, Root Capital client Federación Campesina del Cauca (FCC) is helping its farmers adapt to social distancing and other restrictions during the all-important coffee harvest season. Sustainable Harvest, one of FCC’s largest buyers and a Root…

Latest Findings About Root Capital’s Impact on Rural Livelihoods

Posted by Isabel DoCampo | May 21, 2020

Note: This blog is the final post in a four-part series exploring how Root Capital measures and manages the impact of our lending. Read parts one, two, and three. Impact measurement and management is at the heart of Root Capital’s work, helping us optimize our efforts to transform rural communities. By measuring our impact, we…

Root Capital’s Impact in 2019

Posted by Root Capital | March 11, 2020

Last year, we partnered with agricultural enterprises to unlock prosperity in some of the most economically and environmentally vulnerable regions of the world. With the help of our donors and investors, we reached more than three million people in rural households. Thank you for supporting our mission to build prosperous, inclusive, and resilient rural communities.

These Guatemalan Farmers Are Harnessing the Power of Digital Data With Help From Root Capital

Posted by Rob Hefferon | February 28, 2020

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.

What We’ve Learned About Evaluating Impact in Rural Communities

Posted by Katie Naeve | February 27, 2020

Note: This blog post is the third in a four-part series exploring how Root Capital measures and manages the impact of our lending. Read parts one, two, and four. Several years ago, a mango farmer in Burkina Faso told us something that forever changed our approach to impact evaluation.

Topics: Our Community | Stories of Impact |

Better Coffee, Better Livelihoods: Lessons from Our Second Joint Workshop with Intelligentsia

Posted by Lula Perez | January 28, 2020

"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!”

Cómo la tecnología digital sistematiza la información para las empresas rurales

Posted by Kate Hyder | December 10, 2019

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.

Predicting Social and Environmental Impact Through Due Diligence

Posted by Elizabeth Teague | November 18, 2019

Note: This blog post is the second in a four-part series exploring how Root Capital measures and manages the impact of our lending. Read parts one, three, and four.