A Bumper Crop of Microloans: Farmers Turn to Kiva Zip for Capital

Dan Mitchell is an independent journalist in Oakland, Ca. He has written for The New York Times, Fortune, Modern Farmer , Wired, and many others. In wrapping up a recent conversation with Kiva Zip’s Justin Renfro, I asked him whether there was anything else he wanted to say about the crowdlending platform he helps to run. “Please let more farmers know about us,” he said. It was an offhand request, but a remarkable one. In his mission to connect small farmers and food makers with sources of interest-free capital, his plea wasn’t for more people to write more checks–it was for more people to give checks to. That explains why Kiva Zip recently decided to put more focus on food and farming entrepreneurs. Anybody who lends money expects to get something in return, and if it’s not interest, it is–in the case of Kiva Zip’s army of individual micro-lenders–a chance to satisfy their passion and do some good in the world. And few businesses stir passion like food and farming, especially when it’s local and sustainable. San Francisco-based nonprofit Kiva is well-known for facilitating global microloans–in an effort to help alleviate poverty, especially in developing countries–since 2005. It launched Kiva Zip as a pilot program in 2011 to help a very different constituency: entrepreneurs in the United States and Kenya who aren’t poverty stricken, but just need a bit of help to expand their businesses, buy inventory or purchase a needed piece of equipment. (Kenya is part of the pilot because Kiva already had a strong presence there.) Late last year, Kiva Zip decided to put most of its emphasis on food and farming and this month it helped its 100th farmer secure a loan.