Women farmers making progress through cooperative scheme
The Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Marie Marilyn Jalloh has expressed delight and satisfaction over the increasing production and commitment shown by women cooperatives engaged in farming activities.
Jalloh was in Kambia and Kenema Districts to assess the activities of women farmers’ cooperatives that have been supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under the Technical Corporation Programee (TCP), Promoting Effective Engagement in Agribusiness for Women’s Cooperatives in Sierra Leone.
The TCP is being implemented by FAO in partnership with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security (MAFFS), and the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs. The project was focused on sensitizing and mobilizing smallholder farmers, especially women farmer groups and Agribusiness Centres (ABC) on the concept of cooperatives.
Testimonies from beneficiaries
The Chairlady of the Takelene Women Farmers’ Cooperative in Kambia district, Isatu Sesay testified that the funding they received from FAO greatly helped them to revive their farming activities after the setback that the Ebola Disease outbreak caused to their livelihood.
She explained that, with the fund, the Cooperative cultivated 20 acres of rice and harvested 70 bushels; cultivated 20 acres of Maize and harvested 60 bushels, and also cultivated 15 acres of groundnut, and harvested 60 bushels. They are now waiting to harvest another 20 acres of cassava that they cultivated.
Sesay explained that the sales from all of the produce have greatly increased their income and their ability to embark on more activities. “We are now on our second cropping, from which we hope to harvest more, and we have also distributed inputs to some of our members to work individually”, she disclosed.
Also, the Chairlady of Albetaya Cooperative in Koinadugu district, Haja Sundu Marrah testified that the support they received from the project helped to mobilise and provide meaningful employment for the women in the district, especially the teenagers, most of whom are school dropouts and single parents that have been wandering in their communities.
“Some of the women have long been interested in vegetable farming, but did not have the fund to buy inputs, so, this support brought them the opportunity to venture into what they have long desired for”, Marrah said. She disclosed the Cooperative is now overwhelmed with the request from more women to come onboard because of the amazing changes that they have observed in the current beneficiaries.
In order for the women farmers to realize the maximum benefit from their labour, she recommended for the provision of storage facility and processing centre, and the procurement of cooling vehicle to be transporting their vegetables because they are perishable commodities and need to be transported separately.
The Minister described the performance of the women cooperatives to be very impressive. “The thing that is very impressive to me is their determination to work harder and not just relying on government support”, she stressed.
She noted that the Government of Sierra Leone do not have the fund to meet all the needs of the farmers in the country, but relies on the support and corporation of the international partners and institutions, including FAO to develop the agriculture sector. She appealed to FAO to champion a resource mobilization drive that will enhance the continuity of the project, and for it to be extended to the other districts in the country.
Scope of the project support and the desire for expansion
The project was implemented in the Koinadugu, Kambia, Kenema and Kailahun districts and provided support to 120 direct beneficiaries in each district.
It aimed to improve the production capacity, competitiveness, income and social cohesion of smallholder rural farmers through the introduction of an effective cooperative system. To achieve that, it has among other things trained the women groups on governance and cooperative management, business planning, out grower and contract model of agribusiness, basic agronomic practices and the dynamics in marketing.
With the advent of the Ebola disease outbreak in the country, which has already disrupted the farming activities; the establishment of the cooperatives would not have created the desired impact if they were not provided with the initial support to start farming activities. Therefore, the project provided USD15 000 (Fifteen thousand United States dollars) to each group to startup farming activities in the form of mini-projects.
The cooperatives will be linked with various private sector entities with the aim of establishing out grower schemes and contract farming with them. The project also developed a data base of women farmer groups in the country, which enhances the easier identification and location of the farmer groups by interested parties including researchers, development partners or potential customers.
In her remarks, the FAO Representative in Sierra Leone, Nyabenyi Tipo appreciated the leadership and commitment of MAFFS in the implementation of the project.
Tipo stated that the Organization acknowledges the role played by women in the agriculture sector and the challenges they face in their daily activities. “Women have proven to be leaders in promoting agriculture, that is why FAO is willing to work with them because their activities do not only benefit their families, but their communities and the nation”, she explained.
She cautioned the women farmers that the project funding might be small, but their sustained commitment in their farming activities will encourage other partners and donors to subscribe support towards the extension of the project activities in the country.
Contact:
Keifa Jaward
Communication Consultant, FAO Sierra Leone