Seeding the Future
Young people in rural communities are struggling. The few jobs that exist are low-paying, physically demanding, and unfulfilling.
It’s no wonder so many youth leave their family farms behind. Eager to find meaningful work, they migrate in record numbers to urban areas at home and abroad—but opportunities remain scarce.
We accompany agricultural businesses that invest in the future. We identify, train, and finance clients that are positioning agriculture as a viable, long-term occupation.
We connect businesses to young and promising talent. We’re piloting an initiative to place university graduates with skills in food technology and accounting for one-year internships.
We prepare the next generation of agricultural leaders. In our leadership development training, we coach young managers in goal-setting, decision making, and team management—capacities that spur business growth and prime young people for career advancement.
By joining Root Capital, you can help young people in rural communities develop rewarding and prosperous lives. With your support, we can ensure that the next generation is poised to succeed.
2018 Annual Report
In honor of our 20th year, we’ve published our first-ever annual report to showcase those communities and the agricultural enterprises that sustain them. Our vision, which I know you share, is a future where a thriving agricultural sector enables rural areas around the world to become more prosperous, inclusive, and resilient. View Report
The Village Nut Company: Cultivating Young Agricultural Entrepreneurs in Kenya
This macadamia nut processor is investing in young people by creating reliable career paths. The annual macadamia harvest is now underway in Kenya, and The Village Nut Company’s hilltop factory in Nyeri County is buzzing with activity. As farmers deliver their crop and employees carefully hand-sort the finest nuts, the Muhara siblings are busy mentoring the next generation of agricultural…
SOPPEXCCA: Empowering Women Coffee Farmers in Nicaragua
This coffee cooperative invests in the advancement of women, education of youth, and community health programs. SOPPEXCCA is a Fair Trade and organic-certified coffee cooperative located in the jungles of Jinotega, Nicaragua, where 65% of the nation’s coffee is grown. This business is known for its emphasis on gender inclusion and the empowerment of women farmers—40 percent of its members…
C.A.C. Pangoa: Providing an Alternative to Coca Production in Peru
In the wake of paramilitary violence, this cooperative gave farmers alternatives to the drug trade—and became the beating heart of its rural community. 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…
COCAFELOL: Providing Education and Opportunities for Young People in Honduras
To ensure the long-term sustainability of coffee farming in their community, this cooperative cultivates meaningful career paths for youth. Many young people perceive agriculture as a career that’s difficult, unrewarding, or devoid of pathways for career advancement. Often, their perceptions prove true—and in parts of Honduras, the challenges faced by young people in rural regions have risen to the level…
C.A.C. Chirinos: Building Long-Term Resilience to Climate Change in Peru
When aging coffee trees and a deadly fungus threatened farmer livelihoods, this cooperative invested in long-term sustainability. Perched high atop a steep mountain in the lush Cajamarca region of northern Peru sits the proud town of Chirinos. Boasting a modern church and brand-new municipal building that serve as bookends to a well-manicured central plaza, the town hums with signs of…