Root Capital :: Our Growth

Our Growth

We began lending to rural grassroots businesses in 2000 because we saw a pressing need that was not being met—namely, access to affordable credit for sustainable enterprises that stimulate economic growth and environmental stewardship in the developing world. We have honed a model that channels capital to these businesses when they need it most while mitigating the risks that have kept them isolated from mainstream financial markets for so long.

Cumulative Results
Repayment rate	99%
Number of farmers/ artisans reached¹	265,000
Organic agriculture under cultivation	1.7 million acres
Number of people trained (through Root Capacity)	1,300

¹Total number of members represented by our borrower enterprises.

Key Lending Figures
	Cumulative (as of Dec. 31, 2007)	2007
Amount disbursed	$80 million	$32 million (disbursed or committed)
Number of loans disbursed	395	133
Number of borrowers	169	106

In 2007, through their purchases from local farmers and artisans, our borrower enterprises collectively infused over $150 million into their local communities. Root Capital loans supported a total of $192 million in sales of the products we financed.

Expansion plans

From 2008-2011, we will significantly grow our loan portfolio to demonstrate the broad applicability of our model across different industries, geography and cultures. Specifically, we intend to grow from $20 million in lending capital at year-end 2007 to nearly $60 million by 2011. In the same period, we will increase annual loan disbursements from $32 million this year to over $110 million. As a result, by 2011, we plan to:

Provide loans to more than 500 rural grassroots businesses in critical habitats of 40 countries.
Strengthen market linkages between international buyers and 400,000 small-holder producers.
Contribute to economic, social and environmental improvements for 2.6 million rural people.

For more information, see the Executive Summary of our Strategic Plan.