Thought Leader: Alexandra Tuinstra

Alexandra Tuinstra (she/her/hers), is Chief Strategy Officer at Root Capital, a nonprofit that invests in small and growing agricultural enterprises to transform rural communities in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. Alexandra oversees Root Capital’s Strategy Department, which ensures that the organization’s strategic priorities are designed to effect systemic change and are grounded in action learning. Alexandra and her team shepherd organizational strategy across all stages of its lifecycle, lead the design of innovative services, and build the evidence base that enables our leadership as field-builders and systems entrepreneurs. She has been a featured speaker at high-profile conferences, including the Specialty Coffee Association’s Green Coffee Summit.

Prior to joining Root Capital, Alexandra managed the Farmer Finance program at the Rainforest Alliance, and was a Researcher Consultant, and later Managing Director, of the Centre for Rural Development Studies in Costa Rica. Alexandra has also enjoyed being an occasional Visiting Professor, including at the United Nations University for Peace.

“Many agricultural businesses remain vulnerable to market and natural disruptions, one shock away from closing their doors. We have a real opportunity to not only change their position from one of vulnerability to resilience, but to one of climate action leaders, effecting change directly with the hundreds of thousands of farming families that they are embedded in.”

Australian International Development Network Webinar December 6, 2021

Born, raised, and currently based in Costa Rica, Alexandra serves on the boards of Grameen Costa Rica and Food4Farmers; both organizations seek to empower small businesses and micro entrepreneurs in rural Mexico and Central America, by providing them with tools for economic opportunity and food security. Alexandra is the author of several published papers on financing and sustainable agriculture. She holds a Master of Sciences in Local and Regional Development from the Institute of Social Studies in the Hague, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences from Utrecht University.

Topics of Interest:

  • Sustainable development in emerging economies
  • Financial inclusion
  • Agricultural finance
  • Impact investing
  • Capacity building and training


Speaking Examples

  • Investing in Resilience – the Root Capital Model – II Cumbre de la Roya del Cafe (organized by PROMECAFE) – Guatemala City
  • Confronting Tomorrow’s Risks Today: Key Strategies for Reimagining Resilience in the Coffee Value Chain – Green Coffee Summit
  • Agents of Change: four organisations tackling the climate crisis – Australian International Development Network Webinar

To book Alexandra Tuinstra for a speaking engagement or media interview, contact communications@rootcapital.org

About Root Capital

Root Capital invests in the growth of agricultural enterprises so they can transform rural communities. These enterprises purchase crops such as coffee, cocoa, or grains from smallholder farmers. With growth, they become engines of impact that can raise incomes, create jobs, empower women and young people, sustain peace, and preserve vulnerable ecosystems. Root Capital supplies these enterprises with vital resources: access to capital, trade and technical partners, training on financial management, and conservation practices. To date, Root Capital has distributed $1.85 billion to more than 768 enterprises and provided training to more than 1,800 enterprises—collectively improving the lives of 10 million people in farming communities.

Click here to download a PDF copy of Alexandra’s speaker profile.