| Bank Banco Codesarrollo |
| Client Agustina Chicaiza |
| Location Quito, Ecuador |
Agustina Chicaiza is a farmer from Yaruquí, a rural area located in the highlands close to Quito, Ecuador. She has been a client of Banco Codesarrollo for 20 years.
Agustina is dedicated to the cultivation of vegetables, legumes and fruits that are sold directly in some markets in Quito. With the support of the bank and the support of Populorum Progressio Ecuadorian Fund (Codesarrollo´s shareholder), she has been able to farm in an organic way, being part of fair-trade markets and opening a new distribution network. As she said: “we work in a one-way channel to market and we do it in that way because the profit margin is higher, we do not have intermediaries.”
The bank’s funds allowed them to increase the crops, buy new land, purchase a truck, build a vegetable garden and a collection center.
Her family business has been improved during the last years. Currently, her daughters and grandchildren work with her, and this business allowed them to improve their living conditions. Agustina´s granddaughter is in college now, learning new ideas and strategies for her business to grow.