Root Capital

The members of The Fair Trade Zone are working to avoid that fate. This Nicaraguan cooperative was formed after Hurricane Mitch by a group of 11 women facing the loss of all of their belongings. more

Home of majestic Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania contains vast biodiversity and some of Africa’s richest and most diverse flora. Tanzania’s protected areas equal the percentage of land under protection in North America and Europe. more

To counter the forces of joining the dangerous drug supply chain, alternatives must be provided. Coffee production is a natural choice: Colombia's Andean slopes are uniquely suited to growing high quality coffee. It's not easy for a farmer to begin growing coffee, much less organic coffee. more

Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, is home to the largest arabica coffee producer in Tanzania and the oldest cooperative in Africa: Kilimanjaro Native Cooperative Union (KNCU). KNCU is an example of how sustainable farming can be a symbiotic partner to an ecologically sensitive area. more

Your gift will help support the Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, which represents more than 86,000 coffee growers in the verdant, humid forests of south-central Ethiopia. more

Access to Fair Trade markets has played a significant role in improving people’s incomes. The Sisters’ cooperative is one which has been successful at gaining such access. more

Mozambique’s farmers are working hard to achieve an economic turnaround. However, producer organizations in Mozambique are generally few and weak, due to farmers’ negative experience with previous agricultural collectivization. more

In the face of these challenges, the development of small and medium-sized rural enterprises is critical to rebuilding East Timor. Cooperative Café Timor (CCT) is one such enterprise which provides both safety and sustainable livelihoods for its workers. more

Your gift would help remove 35,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere: the equivalent of that which would be created on 6 plane trips across the United States! How? The microbial communities that exist in organic soils transform carbon from organic debris into biomass, thereby “sequestering" the carbo... more

Farming doesn’t always have to stress the environment. When conducted with innovative technology and techniques, it can benefit both the environment and economy. more

San Ignacio Lagoon in Mexico, one of the last pristine gray whale birthing lagoons, is home to small fishing communities who depend on the sea for their livelihood, particularly in the absence of many public services. more

Hopefully, there will come a day when financial institutions worldwide will recognize smallholder farmer businesses for what they are: good business. However, that day has not yet arrived. In the meantime, some farmers receive the loans they need from alternative lenders such as Root Capital. more