Víctor is a 33-year-old farmer; he is single and he is currently responsible for two of his reasons for living, who are his children, one-year-old Emilia and twelve-year-old Carlos. He lives a hardworking life in the wooden house he built himself with the help of his neighbors. He has lived in his community since he was born and because of his legacy there he refers to himself as one of its founders, as he was one of the area's pioneers. He is also one of the leading producers in his field, which is growing coffee.
He has been working in the fields since he was a child and, later, on the plots that his parents left to him at an early age. With the help of workers, he became successful only a few years afterward.
The past few seasons coffee has suffered a shortfall in terms of price and this worries him a bit, but he tells us that throughout his life he has seen these things happen every once in a while and it is normal.
When planting season started, he was able to rent a plot of land where he plans to grow cacao with organic fertilizer, which is what he prefers, as it is the best way to offset the the low price of coffee. As such, he will need to pay for seeds, labor in the form of workers, and the acquisition of new tools with which he plans to make his work smoother, as he also plans to purchase this land in the future. This is his third loan and he is prepared to make his payments on time, as he plans to ask for another loan in the future. He is always a very active participant in his communal bank.
With the 2,000 he will buy cacao seedbeds, organic fertilizer, and tools, and he will also hire laborers to help him with the work.
Translated from Spanish by Kiva volunteer anonymized. View original language description.