The Ivory Coast is the world's largest cocoa producer and exporter, generating 41% of the world supply. Almost all Ivorian cocoa is grown by small farmers, and it provides them with an important financial lifeline in the midst of upheaval that the country has experienced in recent years. In 1999, the Ivorian government abandoned its system of internal price controls for cocoa, and opened up the markets. This initially led to predatory practices and reduced prices, and in response, groups of farmers began to organize cooperatives to sell and export their products jointly.

The Kavokiva farmers' cooperative was incorporated in 1999, and five years later, it became the first in the country to achieve Fair Trade certification. With high quality cocoa and a good industry reputation for reliability, Kavokiva has quickly grown its Fair Trade sales. Root Capital recently loaned the cooperative $250,000 to enable it to purchase more cocoa from family farmers in the Sassandra region of western Ivory Coast, to take advantage of this increased demand.

Starbucks Coffee Company is a key partner for Root Capital in ensuring sustainable supply chains for coffee and cocoa. Starbucks has not only purchased cocoa from the Kavokiva cooperative, but has worked through its suppliers over the past years to implement best practices and financial management systems at Kavokiva, and provides loan capital for Root Capital's cocoa portfolio. As Dennis Macray, the Director of Business Practices for Starbucks stated, "We are committed to purchasing cocoa that is produced and traded in an ethical, transparent and sustainable manner and our support to Root Capital is a critical component in making that possible."

All of Root Capital's agricultural clients practice at least some sustainable farming techniques, from reforestation and soil conservation to certified organic farming, often as a way of reversing productivity declines resulting from adoption of modern farming practices. But the members of the Yirgacheffe Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, in the highlands of southern Ethiopia, don't need anyone to teach them about sustainability. Their coffee-- regarded by connoisseurs as one of the best in the world- is grown in a unique indigenous permaculture system that has sustained this land and its people for 5,000 years.

The coffee crop is native to Ethiopia, and as a result its cultivation has been integrated into indigenous production systems for millenia. But it is in the mountainous Gedeo Zone, home to the Yirgacheffe coffee appellation, that coffee farming has become a part of what has been called "the most durably sustained land use system on the plant."

The Kigoma region in Northern Tanzania boasts some of the most fertile soil in Africa, and its altitude makes it perfect for growing high-quality, specialty coffee. However, the region's farmers have been hampered by their isolation, which makes it difficult to learn about best practices, and have limited access to water, a necessary ingredient in fermenting and de- pulping the coffee beans. Farmers have to walk an average of two kilometers to fetch water in local rivers, and then carry it bucket by bucket. An innovative partnership between Root Capital, Sustainable Harvest, and the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) aims to change that, however.

With generous support from the Lemelson Foundation, the three groups have teamed up for the "Gombe Coffee Promotion Project," which will train coffee farmers in the Kigoma region to process their coffee with low water use eco-pulping technology, resulting in coffee that will meet specialty coffee standards-and can be sold internationally for a premium, providing economic benefits to farmers and an incentive for them to preserve the local environment. Root Capital will provide long-term loans to coffee producers in the Kigoma region (as well as farmers in the Association of Kilimanjaro Specialty Coffee Growers, or KILICAFE) to purchase the more efficient coffee washing stations, resulting in an 80% reduction in water consumption-a huge environmental benefit in areas with water shortages, not to mention a huge savings in labor for farmers.

Starting to look around for holiday gift ideas? Please consider giving your loved ones a present that is truly meaningful and visit our profile on ChangingthePresent.org. Root Capital offers a variety of possibilities that will speak to your family and friends' unique interests while helping others. The coffee devotee in your life will appreciate your gift to support a women's coffee growing collaborative in Nicaragua. Your beach-going friends will love your donation in support of preserving ocean life in Mexico. And don't forget carbon offsets for your jet-setting pals!

Once you select a gift, ChangingthePresent.org will send a beautiful, personalized greeting card to announce the donation in your own words. Gifts are available in all price ranges, including stocking stuffers. We appreciate your help in spreading the holiday spirit by helping others.

This week, NuWire Investor, an online investment magazine, released their list of the Top 15 Charities for Investors. Root Capital ranked #3 on the list. Says NuWire web editor Trenton Flock, "We chose our top charities based on their effectiveness and how tangibly the success of one's donation could be measured. Root Capital's goal of helping rural farmers take care of themselves, their communities, and the habitat of their homes is so crucial. The company does an excellent job of providing testimony and showing the tangible results of their positive involvement."