Individual Success Story

Enterprising women are key to generating diverse economic opportunities in Côte d’Ivoire’s cocoa-growing areas.

In southern and southeastern Mexico, young people like Esmeralda Canul are using the power of sharing knowledge to build more sustainable, prosperous communities for future generations.

Four years ago, Lúcia Sigauque’s life took an unexpected turn. Discover how a sudden change in her circumstances propelled her into a new role as a successful woman entrepreneur and baker in northern Mozambique.

Lily Pacas is an entrepreneur in the coffee business and a fifth-generation coffee producer in El Salvador. Read about her experience growing up in a coffee-growing family, how those experiences led to a career in civil service, and her hopes for women in coffee.

Eight years ago, Fedila Hussein and Mustafa Tesfaye struggled to earn a living from coffee. Their coffee trees were old and were not producing enough to cover the living expenses of their family of six. After participating in a TechnoServe program, Fedila and Mustafa learned important techniques to improve their coffee yields. Today, their farm is flourishing, and they have seen a 23-fold increase in their coffee production.

Meet Yader Blandín. This young Nicaraguan man joined a gender commission to challenge stereotypes and change the mentality of multiple generations within his community. TechnoServe knows engaging men is a critical component of empowering women in agriculture.

The guar bean, a little green pod, is paving the way for farmers in northwest India to continue growing crops through fierce droughts. See how one farmer achieved success after joining the Sustainable Guar Initiative.

When Virginie Adounon first opened her beauty salon in Bohicon, Benin, she was not keeping track of her sales or giving herself a salary, and she could not save up enough money to make necessary upgrades to her shop. After joining a TechnoServe program called BeniBiz, she gained the skills she needed to run a profitable business.

Learning new ways to grow old crops helps Mozambican farmers improve their incomes. Read about the three steps Élio Herculano took to improve his cucumbers and his income.

Rising temperatures, droughts, and extreme weather events are threatening coffee production in El Salvador and around the world. Meet a coffee farmer who used the skills he gained in a TechnoServe program to create change and inspire the next generation of climate advocates.