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When the South Partners Go Green!

There can be no talk of sustainability without thinking about environmental sustainability. Climate change is affecting our planet and the problems this brings are numerous. Solutions do exist and some local initiatives are flourishing. This is the green side of the Force! Financing sustainable agriculture Agriculture is a sector greatly affected by climate change. Alterfin is investing EUR 24 million in 59 partners who work in sustainable agriculture. In total, over 100,000 small farmers and producers are financed across the world. Together, they cultivate 420,000 hectares of land

Belgian Social Impact Fund Kampani makes its 1st investment

The largest union of coffee cooperatives in Burundi has just opened its own processing plant inside the country. This has been made possible with Belgian funding, specifically an investment of 214,000 dollars by Kampani, an investment fund. This is the first investment for Kampani, which was set up last year by the King Baudouin Foundation, Vredeseilanden, Trias, Alterfin, SIDI, Louvain Cooperation, Boerenbond and other organisations. Kampani is a so-called social impact investment fund, whose aim is to encourage entrepreneurship in agriculture. Focused on Africa, Asia and Latin America,

Alterfin in the SCAA and at the Social Performance Task Force

The SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) is the unmissable event in the coffee sector where everyone involved in the sector (producers, importers, financial backers, etc.) meet up. Alterfin participated this year again in the event that was held in Atlanta from 14 to 17 April. Alterfin took also part in the Social Performance Task Force in Marrakesh, Morocco, from 30 May to 2 June 2016. This conference is attended by inclusive finance players and considers the social aspects of investments. Our Peruvian partner, San Juan del Oro, flanked by Saul and Nilton of Alterfin at the SCAA

Reforestation project in the Peruvian Amazon

In order to offset our CO2 emissions, Alterfin decided to continue financing the reforestation project being undertaken by one of its partners, the Acopagro cooperative in the San Martin region in the Peruvian Amazon. This project involves planting native trees within the producers’ cocoa plots in order to develop model agroforestry systems which will ensure the long-term future of cocoa crops. As well as reducing the carbon impact, agroforestry brings many other benefits. The agroforestry systems make it possible to protect biodiversity. They also use little fertiliser, enabling farmers to

Access to the Market for Small-scale farmers

Smallholders in the South encounter numerous difficulties on a daily basis. First of all, they face many risks: climate change, epidemics, commodity price volatility, etc. Access to the market and very fluctuating demand make them even more vulnerable. So it is difficult to have a stable income and cope with unexpected events. But it is not all doom and gloom. “Sometimes we harvest a lot of beans but we don’t manage to sell them, and other times, when our harvests are small, buyers ask us for more.” explains Nyambura, a woman farmer in Kenya. “Fortunately, now I sell my production to Vert Ltd

Fair trade Coffee Financed by Alterfin at the Super Bowl

Death Wish, a company that imports coffee from various Alterfin partners, has been selected to broadcast a commercial during the Super Bowl, which with over 100 million viewers is a major event in American television. It is not surprising if the name Death Wish means nothing to you: this young American company is still in its infancy. However, it succeeded in pulling off a real coup recently: it won the ‘Small Business Big Game’ competition, which had over 15,000 entries. This competition gives one small business the incredible opportunity to broadcast a commercial worth 5 million dollars

Co-op members confirm their support for fair trade

Alterfin wanted to reiterate its commitment to small producers in the South by joining forces with Fair Trade Week, which ran from 7 to 17 October in Belgium. Alterfin therefore offered a EUR 5 Oxfam gift voucher for every EUR 1,250 invested (or 20 shares) during this period. More than 350 gift vouchers were distributed between 1 and 20 October. As well as members who increased their investment, 19 new members took the opportunity to join us. A total of EUR 447,250 of additional capital was raised through this action, and will be used to develop our financing activities in the South. Thank

Alterfin Shares Certified as ‘Ethical’

Alterfin shares have been awarded the Financité & FairFin label for the second year running. This label certifies products that finance activities generating social and/or environmental utility, based on the assessment of five social criteria, including transparency, solidarity and social responsibility.

Chamroeun: credit for thousands of women in Cambodia

Chamroeun is a microfinance institution (MFI) in Cambodia. It grants micro-loans to about 50,000 people, 85% of whom are women. Chamroeun targets the most disadvantaged and issues tiny micro-loans: the average loan is EUR 160. The French non-profit organisation Entrepreneurs du Monde launched Chamroeun (meaning ‘progress’ in Khmer) in 2006 to promote access to financial services (credit, savings, health insurance, etc.) for poorly served communities in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. The MFI also offers various training courses, ranging from financial education to dealing with domestic

When Microcredit Goes Mobile

How can people gain access to credit when they live in remote areas of the country where no microfinance institutions (MFI) wish to set up a branch because the costs are too high? And for those living in urban areas, how do they avoid the long queues in a bank, only to be told that they are not considered creditworthy or that they will need to come back with additional documents? Is there a way of facilitating access to credit for these people who need financial resources in order to build a better future for themselves? Musoni, an MFI set up in Kenya in 2010, has the answer to all these

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