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.
Nicaragua is currently the second poorest country in Latin America, after Haiti. In a country where the national economy depends mainly on agriculture, aid for farmers is essential.
In 2013, Alterfin decided to fund the organization Ecookim in Ivory Coast for the third time. This union of eight Ivorian cocoa cooperatives numbers more than 2,800 farmers. Under the motto “unity is strength”, Ecookim is looking to improve their activities and quality of life.
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?