Janeth Isabel

Janeth is 39 years old, a single mother of three, and lives in Imbabura Province, Ecuador. From a young age, she learned farming from her parents and, six years ago, began cultivating pigeon peas on two hectares of rented land. She sells her harvest at the Urcuquí market.

Over the past few years, Janeth has steadily improved her crop yields and created employment opportunities for others. She currently grows pigeon peas and peppers, and employs ten people to assist with fertilising and maintaining the crops. Thanks to her hard work, she consistently produces quality harvests—around 800 bags of peppers and 100 sacks of pigeon peas—which she sells both at the local market and to traders.

To earn extra income, Janeth also works as a day labourer on nearby farms.

Janeth is now seeking a loan to begin a new cycle of pepper cultivation, making use of an available plot of land. She plans to allocate 50% of the loan to purchase 8,000 pepper seedlings, 30% for eight sacks of agricultural supplies, and 15% for 19 sacks of fertiliser. The remaining 5% will go towards hiring 20 people to assist with planting and fertilisation. With this investment, Janeth will be able to start a new crop cycle, improve her family’s income, and generate further employment opportunities within her community.