Access to Finance

When small and growing agricultural enterprises can access affordable financing, they have a larger impact on rural communities.


Financing catalyzes enterprise growth, which results in better incomes, services, and other support for farming families. Over more than 20 years, Root Capital has loaned $1.85 billion to agricultural enterprises worldwide, proving that these under-served businesses are bankableand that access to finance can have a ripple effect in rural communities.

The Challenge

Too many small and growing agricultural enterprises are stuck in the “missing middle”considered too big for microfinance and too small and risky for commercial banks. Without access to credit, cooperatives and other businesses are incredibly vulnerable to shocks, from COVID-19 to climate disaster.

But businesses with reliable financingtailored to their unique needs and harvest cyclesare resilient. When that financing is paired with training in critical business skills, the potential for growth and innovation is boundless.

Our Approach

Provide tailored, affordable financing to under-served agricultural enterprises.

Build enterprise capacity to access and manage credit.

Pilot blended financing models to reach early-stage, riskier businesses.

Demonstrate proven models and strengthen the agricultural finance sector.

Our Impact

$1.96B

91%

2.4M

disbursed to under-served agricultural enterprises.

of our 2020 loans filled credit needs unmet by commercial lenders.

farmers and employees reached


Stories of Impact


SOPACDI: Promoting Peace Through Prosperity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this cooperative is providing coffee farmers with the tools they need to rebuild their lives after war. The province of South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has a dangerous past—and a complicated present. The lake that gives the province its name divides the DRC from neighboring Rwanda to the…

In Tough Conditions, This Nicaraguan Cooperative Blossoms

Wiston Vílchez had barely turned 24 when he took over as general manager of the fledgling Flor de Dalia coffee cooperative in 2014. At the time, the cooperative consisted of a handful of families who sold their coffee to local brokers at rock-bottom prices. The brokers then sold the coffee on the international market with a huge mark-up—pocketing all the profit for themselves. 

Sarah Ayipah & Esi Konadu, farmers and members of Kuapa Kokoo. © Kuapa Kokoo Kuapa Kokoo: Creating Sustainable Livelihoods for Cocoa Farmers in Ghana

Hundreds of thousands of farmers in Ghana depend on cocoa for their livelihoods. This business is making sure those farmers earn a decent living. One of the country’s largest exports, cocoa employs approximately 800,000 farming families across Ghana. “It’s the biggest vocation, the biggest source of livelihood in these communities,” says Nelson Adubofour, head of the Kuapa Kokoo Farmers’ Union.

For Antonio And Roberto, A Small Grant Made A Big Difference

Over the past 20 years, we’ve offered hundreds of coffee businesses the capital and training they need to succeed. But to truly maximize their impact, these businesses sometimes require additional support. That’s why, in partnership with USAID Feed the Future, we launched a Resilience Fund that provides $20,000 grants to some of our highest-performing client businesses in Colombia and Peru.

What Fair Trade And Other Coffee Certifications Mean For Farmer Livelihoods

Certifications give consumers insights into where their coffee comes from. But with so many certifications out there, figuring out what each one means can be challenging. Here's a short guide to help you understand the major coffee certifications—and what getting certified means for our client businesses and coffee farmers.

Farmer and Local Trader-Led Service Delivery Models: An Analysis of Opportunities

A successful service delivery model creates value both for farmers and the service provider. This joint report analyzes 10 borrowers in Root Capital's loan portfolio, exploring the impact and economic sustainability of their farmer extension services. It also identifies opportunities for improving and scaling these services to support farmers.

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How Root Capital and the IKEA Foundation are Building the Resilience of Smallholder Farmers in East Africa

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.

APROCAM: Building Opportunities for Indigenous Cocoa Producers in the Peruvian Amazon

For decades, the indigenous Awajún people of northern Peru have struggled to overcome systemic poverty, discrimination, and violence. Now, as members of the APROCAM cooperative, they’re attaining higher incomes—and a better quality of life. In Peru’s northern Amazon, Awajún farmers struggled for years to eke out a living growing cacao on the banks of the Utcubamba River. Completely reliant on…

How These Mayan Farmers Are Modernizing a Two-Thousand-Year-Old Tradition

For the Maya, bees and their honey have always been sacred. Bees are a symbol of fertility and abundance; kaab, the Mayan word for bee, can also be translated as “force,” “land,” or “world.” But for the Mayan producer-members of the EDUCE cooperative, honey isn’t just a part of their cultural heritage. It’s also their livelihood.

Ketiara: Independent Financing Options Enable Exponential Growth in Indonesia

Twenty years ago, Ibu Rahmah worked as a small-scale trader in northern Sumatra, purchasing a few pounds of hand-picked coffee cherries from individual farmers and reselling them to individual traders. In 2009, she organized 37 coffee farmers into the Ketiara cooperative. Less than a decade later, under her chairmanship, it has grown to be one of Indonesia’s most successful and…