Agriculture: Oikocredit’s area of strategic focus
Oikocredit UK & Ireland Newsletter
November 2016

Desert Land Blooms & Sustainable Agriculture Bears Fruits

Supporting sustainable small-holder agriculture is one of Oikocredit's four strategic focus areas alongside inclusive finance, renewable energy and Africa. It is also an area which is proven to have a significant impact on many of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals - most notably, poverty reduction, food security and the socio-economic development of local communities. 

We hope you enjoy this last newsletter for 2016.  We feature a handful of stories from some of our sustainable agricultural partners in Africa; our 2016 forth quarter facts & figures; and a special Christmas offer for our UK & Ireland subscribers from UK Fairtrade partner, Cafédirect. 

Our best wishes for a festive season and a very Happy New Year!  We'll be back in touch in February.

From all of us at the Oikocredit UK & Ireland team

 

Sustainable agriculture and community living in Egypt

This month, together with a handful of investors from around Europe, Oikocredit UK's Archie Pearson visited a particularly unique agricultural partner - SEKEM, in Egypt. 

For over 40 years, SEKEM have been reclaiming desert land for organic and bio-dynamic farming.  Their activities have evolved to include an holistic, sustainable community incorporating educational facilities, a health clinic, and small family businesses based on cotton, tea and herbal produce.  Some of this produce even finds its way into UK brands such as Pukka Teas.

Read more about Archie's visit to Egypt
 

Honey and nuts from Kenya

Oikocredit partner Greenforest Foods Ltd, a Kenyan producer of a well-known honey brand together with various nuts, is helping to revitalize the local economy by sourcing produce directly from local farmers.  We interviewed CEO, Athanas Matheka, to explain his pioneering approach to sustainable farming. 

Read more about Athanas's vision
 

Rwanda’s speciality coffee

Despite the impact of climate change on crops, Rwanda's coffee sector is booming.  This is in large part thanks to social investing and capacity building activities, which positively impact the lives of many smallholder farmers who struggle to survive without the help of your investments alongside vital technical support. 

Oikocredit Rwanda partner, Rusizi Specialty Coffee, works with 2,000 farmers across 3 agricultural cooperatives and produces high quality, speciality coffee beans.

Watch our video to learn more about this wonderful coffee partner
 

Happy Christmas to our UK Investors

We've teamed up with much-loved Oikocredit partner and UK Fairtrade brand, Cafédirect, to bring you two great offers for Christmas:  

1. Purchase your first bag of delicious Cafédirect coffee for just £1, using the code OIKOFIRST.

2. Receive 15% off gift plans, using the code OIKO15.  

For example, check out their special Christmas Blend of excellent, freshly roasted coffee direct from Cafédirect's growers. You can also purchase their stylish gift boxes with your choice of coffees, and have it delivered to your loved ones anywhere in the UK and Northern Ireland.

Click the link below to find out more, and if you have any questions along the way, please don't hestitate to contact the Cafédirect team at handpicked@cafedirect.co.uk.

Visit Cafédirect Handpicked to choose!
 

Oikocredit UK & Ireland in 2016

By 2020, Oikocredit hopes to have grown its development portfolio by 50%, reaching ever more disadvantaged people with vital finance and technical support in low income and developing countries.  Growth in Africa, renewable energy, agriculture and infrastructure projects will continue to remain our strategic priorities, alongside inclusive finance with an emphasis on women and rural communities.

During 2016, thanks to our investors, Oikocredit UK and Ireland raised over £1 million, adding to our total capital of around £16 million in the UK and Ireland, and contributing around 3% to Oikocredit's total development finances. 

We're still small compared to our other capital-raising countries across Europe, but we'd like to grow our UK and Ireland contribution.  To do this, we will continue to rely on top-ups from existing investors as well as attracting new like-minded institutional and individual investors across England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

We thank you for all your support in 2016 and hope that you will continue to support us in investing across many of the UN's sustainable development goals, and help us to reach our UK and Ireland capital-raise 2017 target of £3 million*.

*Capital at Risk. Terms & Conditions apply.

Visit our website to invest, top-up, gift or redeem
 
Oikocredit around the world

Our latest facts & figures

See how we are doing in growing our investment and capacity building activities across low-income and emerging markets.

See our 2016 4th quarter facts & figures
 
Oikocredit UK & Ireland, Putney, London

2017 calendars and new UK address!

In order to be kinder to the environment, and by popular request, we will no longer be sending out 2017 Oikocredit calendars to all our investors.  Instead, we have ordered a small batch and, if you would like a calendar, please do email us at  uk@oikocredit.org. You can also write to us at:

Hyde Park House, 5 Manfred Road, London, SW15 2RS, UK

It's first come, first served, so please hurry!

PLEASE ALSO MAKE A NOTE IN YOUR DIARIES OF OUR NEW ADDRESS, AS WE HAVE NOW MOVED FROM OUR GARSTANG OFFICE.

UK office contact details
 
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Minimum investment £150. No maximum. Conditions apply. Your investment is at risk. It is not covered by a Financial Compensation Scheme and is potentially illiquid. Past performance is not a guide to future performance and repayment of your investment is not guaranteed. If you are in doubt about the suitability of this investment please contact a financial expert.

Investments in Oikocredit are by way of depository receipts for shares issued by Oikocredit International Share Foundation, incorporated as a foundation under the laws of the Netherlands.

The Oikocredit International Share Foundation (OISF) is incorporated as a foundation under the laws of the Netherlands. The OISF prospectus is approved by the AFM (Autoriteit Financiële Markten), the regulatory authority for financial services in the Netherlands. The AFM has notified the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK and the Central Bank of Ireland which permit the issue of the prospectus. Information about investment in OISF and a copy of the prospectus is available from www.oikocredit.org.uk/prospectus or by contacting Oikocredit UK and Ireland.

Registered office: Berkenweg 7, 3818 LA Amersfoort, The Netherlands. Reg No: 41190347.

Oikocredit UK and Ireland • Hyde Park House • 5 Manfred Road • London • SW15 2RS • T: 0330 355 300 • E: uk@oikocredit.org