Impact Area: Rural Livelihoods

Strengthening agricultural activities in rural areas may be among the most effective ways of addressing global poverty. Poverty is more concentrated in rural communities, and people who make their living in small-scale agriculture disproportionately lack access to credit and other resources that can fuel lasting progress.

GP's investments: GP is invested in a number of microfinance and cooperative partners with strong programs to help clients in rural livelihoods increase their income. Services include specialized loans timed with the crop cycle; targeted technical assistance, such as instruction on best practices in caring for cattle; improved access to specialty markets that pay higher prices; access to shared facilities such as coffee processing; and discounts on supplies such as seeds and fertilizer.

Examples from our portfolio: In southern Peru, coffee cooperative and GP partner Crediflorida provides a post-harvest loan product that helps coffee-producer members earn more by allowing them to sell their beans when the price is right. In Bolivia, where only 4 percent of the local microfinance industry serves rural dairy and livestock farmers, Sembrar Sartawi serves a much-needed niche. It develops partnerships with businesses in the dairy "value chain," such as milk buyers and equipment vendors, to provide a stable market for its dairy farmer clients and lower their costs.

What next : GP expects our investment in the vital area of rural livelihoods to grow. We are identifying strategies—including new loan products and technical assistance—to help our partners improve and scale their most effective work.