Gustavo Lombardo

Gustavo Lombardo is a 41-year-old farmer who lives in Cotacachi in the north of Ecuador. Gustavo is single and has a 10-year-old son for whom he pays child support. To sustain his household and his son’s education, Gustavo has been working in agriculture for 20 years.

Over the past few years, Gustavo has worked tirelessly to improve his farming techniques in his vegetable garden. This progress is thanks to the workshops offered in his community, where farmers learn about proper land management, cultivation techniques for local produce, and the use of organic inputs.

These efforts have enabled Gustavo to improve at every stage of cultivation, resulting in better harvests. Each year, he harvests 3,190 sacks of tamarillos, 434 boxes of avocados, and 868 boxes of passion fruit. With the support of his family, Gustavo harvests his produce and sells it at fairs in the city of Quito.

Gustavo has always dreamed of having his home legally registered, as he has been unable to do so for some years. He has now applied for a loan, which he will use to legalise the deeds to his home. This will be a significant help for Gustavo and his family.

This loan is one of 8 special loan requests that have been assessed and approved by Lendwithcare's local partner in Ecuador, Cooperative Santa Anita, to enable 8 farming families to purchase the deeds to their farm land. This loan is a little different to the loans we normally support on Lendwithcare since it is not primarily for productive purposes, and all 8 families have never accessed a loan from a formal financial institution before. However, after careful consideration and assessment, we have decided with our local partner to support these loan requests since we believe they will bring significant benefits to the families who will receive them. Not only will this important purchase mean the families no longer have to work on lands that they legally do not own (even though they have been working the land for several decades), but it also means that they will gain improved access to basic services such as water, electricity, and social housing from the Government. With the deeds to their land they will also be able to pass the land on to their children, helping to secure their futures. Another benefit of this loan is that it will enable these low-income families to start building a credit history with a local financial institution, enabling them to access new loans for their agricultural activities in the future.

Please note that due to the nature of this loan, there is some added risk that it will not be repaid as expected.