The program includes financial training for over 300 coffee producers operating in the area.

San José de Ocoa, Rancho Arriba.- The Maimón Savings and Credit Cooperative (CoopMaimón), in alliance with the United Nations Development Program’s Biodiversity in Productive Landscapes Project, opened its 11th service point in this municipality, with the aim of supporting the producers of this community with soft financing and financial education.

The agreement aims to establish the operational framework for the sustainable management of mountain productive landscapes, production systems compatible with the conservation of threatened mountain ecosystems and corridors; sustainable livelihoods incorporating agricultural practices friendly to ecosystem services including biodiversity.

During the inaugural ceremony of the new service point located on the main avenue of Rancho Arriba, San José de Ocoa, the President of the Board of Directors of the Maimón Cooperative made it clear that the priority of the entity is the people “for CoopMaimón, the business is not the money, for us the business is the people,” he said.

On her part, the General Manager of CoopMaimón, Irma Grullón, stated that “together, we are committed to training and supporting the farmers of this community in financial education, offering savings and credit services that will promote the economic, social, and environmental development of this region.”

In the same vein, the manager of the Piedra Blanca office, Dámaris Núñez, indicated that “CoopMaimón has come to Rancho Arriba with the sole intention of being an ally for its development and that of all the surrounding areas.”

Meanwhile, Evaydee Pérez Sarraff, National Coordinator of the Project, ensured that with the establishment of this solidarity-based financial company in this area, “it is a guarantee for the sustainability of the achievements made by the United Nations Development Program and its Biodiversity in Productive Landscapes Project.”

“Together, we are committed to training and supporting the farmers of this community in financial education, offering savings and credit services that will promote the economic and social development of this region. Welcome to a future of opportunities and shared growth!”

The opening of this new service point of the aforementioned cooperative has generated more than a dozen direct jobs, as well as a significant number of indirect jobs in this community.

The new service point consists of three cashier areas, two business stalls, a reception area, as well as an office for the person responsible for all the operations of CoopMaimón in this space.

The project proposes a multifocal landscape approach to address threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services in productive landscapes rich in biodiversity in the Dominican Republic.

The inaugural event was attended by the mayors of Rancho Arriba and Juan Adrián, as well as the civil governor of San José de Ocoa, local and provincial authorities, sister cooperatives, merchants, and farmer associations