Empowering Koinadugu women farmers in Sierra Leone
In the framework of its support to Ebola recovery, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) donated a generator to the Koinadugu Women Vegetable Farmers’ Cooperative.
© FAO/Sebastian Liste/NOOR
The 45 KVA generator, worth USD 15 000, will be used to power the Cooperative’s 40 feet long refrigerator which can load up to 500 bags of vegetables.
The generator was procured with financial support from the African Solidarity Trust Fund (ASTF) as part of its engagement to help farmers recover from the devastation caused by the Ebola disease epidemic in Sierra Leone. This assistance complements other ASTF-funded activities to boost the cooperative’s activities. In particular, cash transfers enabled them to purchase quality vegetable seeds and replenish their depleted funds following the Ebola outbreak, for a total amount of USD 29 000. The project is being implemented by FAO in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security.
The Koinadugu Women Vegetable Farmers’ Cooperative comprises seven hundred women engaged in vegetable farming as a major source of livelihood, from over ten communities in the Koinadugu District.
On 7 February 2016, handing over the generator kit, the FAO Representative, Dr Gabriel Rugalema told the women farmers that the ASTF support is meant to wipe the bitter experiences caused by the Ebola outbreak and enable them to revive their activities with increased productivity.
“We provided you this generator to enable you preserve your commodities until transportation to market so that you can get better prices from them, which can quickly elevate your profits.” he stated.