Agri-Business Capital Fund invests in sustainable business practices

The Agri-Business Capital (ABC) Fund was launched in 2019

to serve small and medium-sized agricultural businesses that lacked access to capital with funding and technical assistance in developing countries.The Fund’s primary impact goal is to improve the livelihoods of the farmers – particularly women and youth – while supporting the development of sustainable agricultural practices. To achieve this goal, the ABC Fund lends to agribusinesses that are a part of multiple agricultural value chains and whose initiatives increase productivity, innovation, local value addition, access to finance and markets, and job creation.

Through its investments, the ABC Fund addresses gender inequality and youth unemployment in smallholder farming. As the businesses grow sustainably and build their capacity, they create economic and employment opportunities for the youth, in turn reducing rural poverty and boosting agribusiness value chains. The fund recognizes that global food systems are threatened by climate change and population growth and gives special attention to projects that help smallholder farmers adapt to climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Impact Story: Supporting women’s livelihoods in Côte d’Ivoire

Bio Amandes, a company based in Ferkessédougou, Côte d’Ivoire is the country’s only industrial shea butter processor and exporter. The company produces certified shea butter by grinding shea kernels and processing the raw butter.

The ABC Fund has provided funding to the company which has been used to purchase more raw materials from women’s groups, working capital and for the purchase of a shea butter refining unit that enabled the production of higher quality shea butter. These investments in the company’s operations have led to increased productivity, access to higher prices for the shea butter and a 90% increase in the proceeds paid to women suppliers.

The Praxis commitment

Praxis Investment Management supports organizations through investments in Calvert Impact, an impact-investing institution that helps people around the world through community development financing. It’s part of the Praxis commitment to place approximately 1% of each of its funds to benefit neighborhoods and individuals through community development investments.