The Tanga Kona Commercial Village is one of the organized CVs that form trading blocs for agricultural commodities. In doing this, the communities’ capacity to utilize available resources for commercial gains and to engage themselves in market-led production or processing activities has been enhanced as the Commercial Villages are strategically linked to buyers. This transforms the villages to commercialized entities that operate as business units – turning villagers and neighbours into organized business partners. 

The introduction of a variety of motorized cassava chippers by Farm Concern International under the Cassava commercialization and processing Programme supported by Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa has transformed the lives of members of Tangakona Commercial Village. The cassava processing innovation now reduces cassava chunks drying time from seven to two days during sunny periods. This saves time especially for the women who are involved in household cassava processing and drying.

Story of Moses Odwali

Moses Odwali, a Commercial Village Facilitator (CVF) and also a secretary of Aten Commercial Village (CV), is a farmer from Aten Village in Western Kenya. Moses is influential in the community and adapts quickly to new technology. He thus challenges other farmers to embrace change especially from the practice of waiting for rainfall so that they can harvest water. 

Moses has benefited and knows how to plan his farm by practicing a crop production schedule. He has mobilized the Commercial Village to save money and buy new variety of cassava seeds. 

Moses believes that the power of collective action reduces high cost of production and eases market penetration than in doing things individually.

His Vision 

He has a vision for the Commercial Village to own a hotel in Asinge shopping centre which will enhance selling their products. Moses also plans to have a shop that will be knitting cassava chips sacks and other farm produce. This is meant to create more job opportunities amongst themselves.

To achieve this dream, Moses has taught his Commercial Producer Groups (CPG) to work as a team in cassava harvesting, peeling, chipping and any other work the youths can do to earn a living. He ensures that his CPG spearheads every chipping exercise in Asinge location so that they are able to learn how to operate the chipper. He has chipped ½ tonne of cassava for his animals and ¼ tonne for his home consumption. 

The handling of cassava has improved as compared to how they used to do before they were enlightened by Farm Concern International. This has made the farmers to start drying their produce on the tapelines. Before then, they used to dry their produce on the bare ground which exposed the food to unhygienic conditions. 

So far, at least 70 Commercial Villages are participating in processing technologies using the motorized chippers which now reduce cassava chunks drying time from seven to two days during sunny periods. This saves time especially for the women who are involved in household cassava processing and drying.

These interventions have attracted the attention and support of other partners like Kenya Agricultural Livestock and Research Institute (KALRO) and the Ministry of Agriculture that have provided equipment like posho/hammer mills, cassava graters and pressing machines for starch production.

Residents of Mbuvo Commercial Village in Eastern Kenya have improved food security and increased income under the Kenya Cassava Commercialization and Processing Programme supported by Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa and implemented by Farm Concern International. “We harvested a total of 16,016 metric tons which was consumed domestically while the excess was chipped and dried for storing,” remarked Mr. Masyuki- the Commercial Village chairman. 

Eight months after Farm Concern International initiated the programme, cassava farming has fostered the local economy, reduced poverty and hunger among the residents.

Mr. Joseph Mutuku Masyuki, the chair of the 460-strong Mbuvo Commercial Village (CV) together with the rest of its members in the County are an example of the economic and nutritional value of cassava value chain. 

FCI made a presentation at a public baraza on the economic potential of cassava and the benefits of collective action among the smallholder farmers in June 2010.  After the presentation, the village members organized themselves into eight Commercial Producer Groups (CPGs); the groups were linked with other interested stakeholders and buyers who created a huge demand for cassava cuttings and tubers.

“The demand for the new variety cuttings was quite high and the Commercial Village was unable to satisfy the farmers,” said Masyuki. Farm Concern International linked the Commercial Village to Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) which trained them on modern farming activities and introduced them to new improved varieties of cassava cuttings.  

As a result of the commercialization campaigns and linkage to KALRO, 32,315 cassava cuttings were bought from KALRO in Katumani at a cost of USD 697.95 and planted on 15 acres of land. Although the rains failed them at the end of 2010, the CV mobilized its members to plant again in March 2011 in the 600 acres bought by the 300 members.

 “We harvested a total of 16,016 metric tons which was consumed domestically while the excess was chipped and dried for storing,” Masyuki says. Drying cassava enabled members to store them for nine months as opposed to 48 hours. 

Mbuvo CV also benefitted from two chippers donated by FCI. The chippers have enabled them chip and mill cassava into nutritious flour for porridge and ugali. They also sell the chips to animal feed companies as substitute for maize grains resulting to huge incomes.

Low productivity is a key explanation for the poor performance of African agriculture. A review of performance of agriculture over the last 50 years shows that Africa has clearly lagged far behind other regions of the world. For instance, whereas the other regions were able to increase yields by more than 150%, Africa only managed 72% from the 1960s. In per capita terms, food production in China has risen by a factor of nearly 3.5, whereas it has fallen in Africa and only recently recovered to match that of the 1961 levels (Godfray et al. 2010). 

Part of the reasons for low African yields is lack of coordination and inability of smallholder farmers to extract the maximum from the markets (IFAD, 2010). In spite of this recognized need, progress in improving Africa's smallholder farmers has been elusive over the last decade.

Since 2010, Farm Concern International (FCI) has been implementing a 5-year Domestic Markets Regional Programme working towards improving smallholder farmers by organizing them into groups (Commercial Villages), training them, and ensuring their inclusion in Commercial Village activities.

By its fourth year, the programme had successfully clustered 115,491 smallholder farmers into 496 Commercial Villages (CVs) and extensively engaged 549 Commercial Village Facilitators (CVFs/CoTeFs) 1 in farmer training at the village level. Additionally, 254 CV leadership and functional committees went through capacity building geared towards enhancing governance and participation at both CV and Commercial Producer Group (CPG) level.  

The programme further dedicated the fourth year of its 5 year period to strengthening the already established CVs leading to enhanced cross cutting performance as well as women and youth involvement in farming and other interventions at CV level. Notably, the programme had ensured 49% and 35.6% women and youth participation respectively in all CV activities. 

Representatively, women participation in the four countries were as follows; 55% Kenya, 53% Tanzania, 40% Rwanda and 48% Malawi. Youth participation representation was 27% Kenya, 30% Tanzania, 35.4% Rwanda and 49.97% Malawi. Youth participation level implies that more young people are turning to agriculture as a socio economic activity. The initiative presents opportunities for strengthening smallholder farming and increasing productivity of Africa.

Over one million banana and sweet potato smallholder farmers are set to benefit from the SeFaMaCo programme in securing access to clean planting materials, increased farmer skills knowledge and reliable markets for improved economic livelihoods. SeFaMaCo programme is a four year initiative, titled Integrated Value Chain development and smallholder farmer commercialization of Banana and Sweet potato for Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia based on a Seed- Farmer-Market and Consumer model.