Creating jobs for farmers, artisans and workers

The annual Customer Social Impact Survey reveals encouraging workforce trends across our producer portfolio. Analysis of staffing patterns - encompassing artisans, farmers, permanent employees and seasonal workers - shows remarkable resilience in employment levels despite global economic pressures.

Producer organisations report predominantly stable or expanding workforces, with minimal reduction in staff numbers. This stability proves particularly significant given recent challenges including supply chain disruptions, climate impacts and market volatility affecting agricultural and artisanal sectors.

As part of our ongoing customer monitoring and due diligence, we collect data from each producer customer on the number of individuals working in their co-operatives and unions, as well as the number   of employees.

We observed a modest increase in the number of producers we serve through our lending programmes, reaching a total of 416,979 which represents an increase of 4,351 despite an overall reduction in the total number of customers in our portfolio. Notably, the percentage of women among these individuals has risen to 37.4%, reflecting a 5.4% increase from the previous year.

Click here to read our full Social Accounts 2024.