Francisco Barquero

Photo by Michael Kienitz

Francisco Barquero, WCCN's Regional Representative in Latin America, is a native Nicaraguan. He obtained a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in agricultural extension and rural development, and completed his Ph.D. from the UW-Madison in economic development with a specialization in microfinance in 2002. Before joining WCCN in 1997, Francisco worked in applied rural development in some of the poorest communities in Nicaragua. Since then, he has been evaluating and monitoring the performance of many savings and credit co-ops and microfinance institutions in Nicaragua and other Latin American countries. He has written two books: “Microfinance in Nicaragua’s Agricultural Frontier: Women’s Empowerment in Waslala” and “The Social, Economic and Productive Impact of the Revolving Community Fund in North Chinandega."