The Cassava Commercialization and Processing Programme implemented by Farm Concern International (FCI) with support from Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa has resulted in tales of transformation across East Africa. Commercial Villages (CVs) in Makueni County contributed Kshs. 566,700 in total, out of which Kshs. 76,000 was used to purchase 38,000 cassava cuttings from the University of Nairobi farm in Kibwezi. Using their savings, members of Mbuvo CV used part of her members savings to purchase a one-acre plot at Ksh. 80,000. The Commercial Village has since then started developing the plot with an intention to set up a cassava processing plant and rental shops. They fenced and set up demonstration plots and have also built up a village hut. 

The Commercial Villages Model (CVM) developed and updated by FCI is a hybrid model through which typical social administrative villages are designed and systematically graduated into commercialized competitive market-led agricultural production units. It is supported by a business incubation and graduation pathway that is efficiently organized to evolve social administrative villages into commercial villages that meet the modern markets quantity and quality (Q&Q) requirements through bulking and quality assurance. One of the main components of the Commercial Village Model is the savings and credit scheme that encourages farmers to save and borrow money within their Commercial Villages. Record keeping is made through pass books which is an FCI initiative.

Mbuvo Commercial Village is currently saving money to buy a tractor for ploughing the cassava fields and also to be used as a source of income through land tillage and transportation at a fee. “Our vision is to change the lives of the people in this Commercial Village,” said Mr. Masyuki, the chairman of Mbuvo Commercial Village. 

One of the great achievements of the initiative is availability of school fees loans for members. “School fee is just a phone call away. We just call the principals and assure them that the child belongs to our member and that the money shall be paid. We then organize to process the money whereby the member completes an application form, and then the cash is availed to the school immediately. So far we have seven children whose parents have benefited from borrowing from the savings in the Commercial Village” said Mr. Masyuki..

When Lucy Kaari of Makandi Commercial Village, Meru, joined the E-warehouse program and adopted proper agronomic practices on her maize farm, the results were evident in the subsequent season. She used to harvest 10 bags of maize on her 2 acres of land but now harvests 40 bags in the same piece of land.  “Farm Concern has helped us so much,” Lucy beams, as she stands on her two-acre maize farm. 

“I first met with FCI staff in March 2013. They called us for a meeting in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and told us about the program. They then asked us to select a person to train for the program,” Lucy says. Makandi villagers selected Lucy, as the Village Knowledge Worker (VKW). Under the E-Warehouse program, a VKW is issued with a GPS smart phone with digitized agronomic and market information to offer technical support to farmers, share market prices and collect data on stored grains. 

Under the program, FCI staff and VKWs also conduct trainings, workshops and demonstrations for farmers on topics such as proper drying and storage techniques, type materials to use, and how to measure the moisture content in their grain. As the VKW for Makandi CV, Lucy received training as a facilitator who would in turn train her fellow farmers. Additionally, Lucy also benefited from the knowledge acquired and as an example to her fellow villagers, started applying the knowledge she learned.

“Before FCI came into the area, we often used low quality seeds, leading to lower yields. When they came, they introduced us to high quality seeds and trained us on proper planting techniques. For example, I used to put three maize seedlings in one hole, expecting to get higher yields. However, FCI taught us the proper planting spacing for maize. They also taught us how to use fertilizers and other inputs,” Lucy adds. In that season, Lucy planted one and two maize seeds alternately per hole according to the training received. The results of adopting these proper agronomic procedures were evident in the subsequent season when she harvested 40 bags of maize.

In addition, she had a ready market. “FCI linked us with traders who came and bought our maize from the store. Before then, we used to sell through brokers at a price of Kshs. 1,500 per bag. After the first season with FCI, the traders bought the maize bags for Kshs. 3, 050 per bag,” Lucy says. In the next two seasons, the CV sold their bags for Kshs. 2,700 and Kshs. 2,800, which is almost double of what they used to sell before the intervention.

“Because I am selling at a higher price, it is now easier to pay school fees for my children. I have also been able to lease more land and employ my fellow villagers,” she concludes.

Hormood Iskashi Farmer Organization, in formerly war torn and impoverished Somaliland is now actively involved in profitable trade. Although many farmers in Baki district of Awdal region grow plenty of tomatoes and onions as the main horticultural crops, because of limited access to markets, most of them are often exploited by the middlemen who customarily offer farmers low prices for their produce. However, the situation is turning around for the farmers who have joined the Somalia Rural Commercialization Programme implemented by FAO Somalia and FCI and funded by the European Commission.

Hormood Iskashi was established in April 2012 after one community facilitator was trained in Baki district on the Farmer Field School approach by FAO-Somalia and FCI in a four-month long training at Amoud University. It initially began with 10 members from Baki district of Awdal region, Somalia. The group now has 30 members. According to the agreed selection criterion; a member must be a local farmer, a team player and must be willing to participate in a group savings scheme. 

Initially, the group faced challenges in organizing meetings due to the distance between farmers’ houses, meeting locations and the group farm. In addition, the treasurer faced difficulties in collecting monthly savings due to lack of trust, because most of the members had not been exposed to saving schemes before. Despite all those challenges, Hormood Iskashi Farmer Organization has continued to operate and grow following continued capacity building by FCI’s MTOs. The organization was introduced to two trader associations in Borama city as well as Hargeisa and Wajaale markets by the Market Trade Officers working for the RuCom project.  

Capacity building

As part of the training, FCI’s MTOs introduced a governance structure and a constitution formulation for better group coordination. Previously, farmers had little know-how on how to market their commodities. They were trained on how to price, promote and distribute their produce (tomatoes, lemons and onions) and select reliable buyers. In addition, FAO-FCI organized farmer & trade linkage forums where sellers and buyers were introduced to each other to discuss and establish what commodities were best suited for consumers’ needs. As a result, this farmer organization is now in direct contact with traders in Boroma city, having ready markets for their products. In addition, FCI MTOs trained members on production, pest control, soil testing, and the appropriate use of fertilizers. "I had no idea what chemicals to use on my farm," Abdi Hassan explains. "Even if I had been sold plain powder, I would not have known. But after Farm Concern staff trained us, we now know the best chemicals."

Market Linkages

To solve the problem of exploitation by middlemen, FCI MTOs facilitated marketing trainings which enabled members to access and keep up with market information. By keeping up-to-date with the latest market prices, farmers have increased their income by leveraging on these opportunities. "Before FCI came into the picture, we had no choice and used to take whatever prices the middle-man offers. On some occasions, they would even tell me that my harvest had gone bad and would bring me back empty boxes from the market. Things were difficult for me,” explains Nimco, a member of Hormood Iskashi FO. “Since this project was initiated, my life has changed for the better. Now I access the markets and know when to sell or when to wait for better prices. We have also set up a bulking center where we can keep our commodities until market prices get better,” he says.

Before the intervention, farmers had been using low yielding and poor quality seeds because they were inexpensive. The groups were encouraged to adopt better farming practices such as buying quality seed. "I am now aware of the right kind of seeds and I have also identified a reliable supplier where we purchase our inputs," Abdi says.Before being grouped together, members were doing individual activities, limiting their trading ability. However, they now buy and sell in bulk which has increased their bargaining power with traders, leading to obtaining better prices for their produce, and lower prices for inputs and quality seed.

Savings

Since the farmers were not making high profits, they did not have much to save from their sales. But with collective action in place, this was now attainable. 

Following the drafting of a constitution, the group facilitated by FCI’s MTOs introduced a savings and lending scheme that was geared at solving the difficult challenges the group members were facing such as access to micro finance. 

Profit is shared between the members while the capital is invested back into the farm. Under difficult circumstances, the savings may be lent to needy members with critical needs such as a medical condition. Borrowers pay back in installments. To ensure continuity, the FO members meet every Thursday to receive lessons from the facilitator. Topics vary from environmental protection and farming techniques to trading and marketing skills. 

In addition to the trainings, the members also support each other during the weeding process, occasionally monitoring and fencing farms. In addition, all 30 farms, including the group farm, share the same labor to save on time and money.  With increased incomes, farmers in Hormood Iskashi Organization have seen their standard of living significantly rise. "The profits I get from my produce have now doubled because of my direct linkage to the market," Madina Mohamed explains. Nevertheless, owing to the poor infrastructure in these Awdal areas coupled with the climate change and frequent erratic rainfall, challenges persist. This year, the main rainy season, Gu’, is performing poorly in terms of distribution and intensity, which has posed a real challenge because all group farms are rain fed. Consequently, many of the FO members have been using their increased incomes to diversify into livestock and informal trade in case of rain failure.

In the near future, the organization plans to establish a second group farm to produce quality seeds and create a trade center in which both harvested commodities and seeds are sold. In addition to the seed bank, the organization plans to form trade linkages with overseas markets including Djibouti and Ethiopia (Jigjiga and Diridawa). 

Cadar Maxamed Nur is a member of Tawakal Trader Association. She joined the association when the project staff identified her during the initial assessment. With a household of eight members to feed and no husband, Cadar started as a sole trader in the 1990s. She struggled through tough times and managed to keep her business afloat.

“Sometimes when I would get sick, there was no one to look after the business so I would have to shut down until I got better. I would also close down whenever I needed to visit a distant relative. Everything changed when I joined this association. Now, thanks to the capacity building trainings, I know what it means to make a profit or loss. I now save through the shared bank account and I trust these people because we have a common goal and they are also committed to this venture. Thanks to the association, I now make enough to send my children to school, pay for other miscellaneous expenses and save a little”.

Capacity building is an ongoing process through which individuals, groups, organizations and societies enhance their ability to identify and meet development challenges. For farmer organizations, this process involves training sessions in crop production and management aspects of various value chains through Farmer Group Discussions, field demonstrations and question-answer forums. This is aimed at enhancing the performance of small holder farmers.  

When farmers come together in groups they are able to;  address challenges facing smallholder farmers; readily access information on production, value addition, and commodity marketing; develop effective linkages with input suppliers and financial service providers; lower costs as a result of  synergy created by economies of scale; make processing and marketing of their products easier and cheaper as well as access inputs and equipment; manage drying, storage, grading, cleaning, processing, packaging, branding, collection and transportation of produce.

Essentially, training farmer organizations and associations is more effective than training individual farmers. This is because farmer and trader organizations have institutional structures through which development efforts can be channeled. As such, INGOs, local NGOs, public sector and other development stakeholders find it easier to work with and train organized groups as opposed to individual farmers. 

Capacity Building Curricula 

Capacity building for FOs, Trader associations, and other value chain actors was done via the Rural Commercialization Curriculum. It covered the following modules: Small holder commercialization: Market development; Value chain development; Group capacity development; Business development and Trade development. 

Capacity building was carried out during the implementation of the RuCoM project. Three major workshops were held in Hargesia with Trader Association Forums being held in various markets in Somaliland and South Central.  A number of Buyer-Seller Forums were also conducted as a way of empowering communities through creation of market linkages.

Gender Training

Capacity building programs have given special focus and attention to gender aspects within farming and trading communities through increased opportunities for women participation in training programs. Currently, the trained women work as mobilizers of other women joining male dominated FFSs. A suitable example of such groups is Hoodale FFS in Baki, which has increased its women membership from 2 to 15 as a result of training sessions. 

Governance Training and Intervention

FCI, through the Rural Commercialization Model that has enhanced capacity development through conducting group dynamic training forums that enhance proper governance at village levels. These structured Farmer Organizations are involved in running of village production activities as well as fostering peace and conflict resolution; which is a pivotal aspect of RuCom intervention.