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Measuring Our Impact

By measuring our impact, we unlock critical data that drives real decision making about where and how we deploy limited resources.

Impact measurement and management is at the heart of Root Capital’s work to transform rural communities. We have a responsibility to ensure our work improves peoples’ livelihoods and doesn’t cause unintended harm. Impact measurement findings help us analyze our results and fine-tune our programs to better serve farming families. To contribute evidence to the broader sector, we regularly share what we’ve learned. Read our latest findings.

How We Measure Impact

Our impact measurement and management efforts focus on two areas:

Predicting Social and Environmental Impact Through Due Diligence

Measuring Actual Impact Through Rigorous Evaluations of our Work

We employ best-in-class standards from the impact investing sector and also situate our metrics within the broader global development agenda. We employ rigorous evaluation methodologies; most recently, conducting our first set of quasi-experimental evaluations to measure our impact on farmer incomes. Learn more about this study.

We balance our commitment to rigor with usability—measuring impact in ways that are relevant to our work, budget-conscious, and suitable for remote, rural contexts. This ensures that the results are useful both to us and to our clients. In all cases, we make sure that the community directly benefits from our studies, through an approach we call "client-centric evaluation." As we measure impact, we also generate information that is useful to farmers and enterprises and deliver that data back to them.

Reports and Impact Studies

Climate Resilience Roadmap 2021 Mid-Year Report

In the first half of 2021, we expanded financing to climate action leaders; delivered tailored agronomic and climate resilience advisory services to enterprise staff; designed a new loan product to finance soil regeneration efforts; and so much more. Read about how we're advancing our Climate Resilience Roadmap in partnership with rural communities.

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A woman coffee farmer in bright clothes stands in a forest and smiles at the camera.

Women in Agriculture Initiative 2021 Mid-year Update

In the first half of 2021, Root Capital continued to invest in the success of women farmers, employees, and entrepreneurs through our Women in Agriculture Initiative. Our 2021 Mid-year Update provides an update on our progress this year, and our cumulative progress since the initiative's launch in 2012.

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Pursuing Gender Equality Through Investment in Rural Communities—Root Capital Case Study

This report documents Root Capital’s gender lens investing journey, capturing the organization’s goals and motivations, path toward realizing those goals, challenges faced, results of the work, factors behind success, and key learning.

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2020 Annual Report: A Time to Act

In 2020, our world faced challenges that none of us could have predicted. In the face of uncertainty, Root Capital, our supporters, and our client agricultural enterprises around the world took action. Together, we were able to keep rural communities safe by protecting lives and preserving livelihoods. View Report

Evaluating How Root Capital’s Client Businesses Impact Smallholder Livelihoods: Oil Palm in Ghana

This evaluation analyzes the extent to which affiliation with an agriculture business supported by Root Capital's lending and advisory services—in this case, an oil palm aggregator in Ghana called Serendipalm—improves the wellbeing of smallholder farmers. With insights directly from the business' supplying producers, the report highlights the impacts of affiliation with Serendipalm on farmer livelihoods, as well as lessons about the efficacy of Root Capital's engagement with the business.

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Building the Capacity for Small and Growing Businesses to Improve the Climate Resilience of Women Farmers

Recognizing the impact of climate change on women and the important role of women in mitigating its effects, in 2019 Root Capital launched its first-ever climate resilience-focused Gender Equity Grants (GEGs) in Mexico and Central America. This report, prepared by Value for Women, examines the effectiveness and relative impact of this intervention. It also recommends best practices for investors, donors, and other organizations working to promote rural women’s climate resilience through agricultural enterprises.

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