The cooperative strengthened its dedication in 2024 by turning into a part of the ‘Projet d’Appui au Développement du Cacao’ (PAD-CACAO), which goals to develop cocoa farming in Cameroon. The programme is led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Growth.
To establish the principle areas of intervention, the PAD-CACAO undertaking deployed a Nationwide Coordination staff in Ihund (the cooperative’s head workplace) on 22 and 23 Could 2024, in an effort to perform a participatory prognosis with the affiliation’s members.
By means of discussions and sharing of experiences, this participatory prognosis was supposed to:
Analysis targets and course of
By means of discussions and sharing of experiences, this participatory prognosis was supposed to:
- gather socio-economic knowledge on the cooperative’s members in order that actions will be tailored;
- perceive the principle difficulties encountered by the ladies producers and collect their strategies;
- outline an motion plan to achieve the cooperative’s targets.
To satisfy a most variety of ladies cocoa farmers, the Nationwide Coordination staff went to Ihund, in addition to to the three workplaces of the cooperative: Iaakok, Pendjock and Ndog Njé (which has merged with Ihund).
Animation of the Rural Ladies of the Iaakok workplace
The 2 days of discussions had been organised in collaboration with the ‘Conseil Interprofessionnel du Cacao et du Café’ (CICC), which already helps the cooperative in its growth.
Every participant crammed in a really detailed identification sheet to gather the next data:
- identification of the lady producer;
- her manufacturing, processing and advertising knowledge;
- her monetary habits;
- any issues she has encountered and any strategies she could have for future motion.
Filling in identification sheets at Iaakok
The aim of gathering this data was to find out the income-generating actions, checklist the manufacturing issues, prioritise probably the most worthwhile crops and thus set up an motion plan to assist the cooperative to attain its targets.
The outcomes of the prognosis
Due to a poor phone community within the area, solely 24 of the 50 ladies anticipated obtained the invitation and took half within the conferences.
Nonetheless, evaluation of the information collected helped us to establish main socio-economic tendencies among the many cooperative’s members. The next are just a few key figures:
- solely 17% of the members are below the age of 35 (the strenuousness of the work is thus to be taken under consideration sooner or later actions to be applied);
- 61% of the members have a major schooling degree and 35% a secondary schooling degree;
- 7 ladies are financially depending on their kin;
- 100% of the ladies members of the cooperative make their residing from the advertising of agricultural merchandise, and solely 4% elevate livestock farming (not all of the cocoa fields are but in manufacturing, which signifies that ladies make their residing from different crops like cassava, macabo, yam, plantain bananas, and many others.);
- 74% of the monetary assets come from the producers’ personal cash;
- 40% of the members save their assets after gross sales and 35% have their very own checking account;
- 91% of the members pay their monetary obligations, together with membership charges and annual dues;
- 70% of the workforce is family-based, and solely 30% has short-term worker standing.
Strengths
Every farmer has between one and 4 plots of meals crops on common, and one hectare of cocoa timber. The prognosis recognized the crops that should be intensified in an effort to pool advertising (primarily cassava and maize).
Due to the survey, it was additionally potential to establish the pure assets accessible within the rural space of Ihund, and the extra earnings alternatives they may create as soon as developed.
The principle difficulties
Nonetheless, the survey additionally revealed main difficulties encountered by ladies producers.
They talked about specifically the infertility of the soil (typically bolstered by the observe of slash-and-burn agriculture), the presence of bugs and pests that smash harvests, vital losses, particularly on plots cultivated in polyculture, the poor high quality of seeds, in addition to previous and inappropriate instruments.
By way of advertising, group gross sales actions are presently below growth, however the producers deplore the poor state of the roads and the shortage of technique of transport, which make advertising very troublesome.
Discussions and sharing of experiences regarding manufacturing questions
Motion plan and areas of intervention
An motion plan has already been established with the ‘Conseil Interprofessionnel du Cacao et du Café’ to help the cooperative members for 3 years in all features of growing their enterprise:
- enterprise administration, management, administrative and monetary administration, negotiation,
- gear and infrastructure upkeep,
- cocoa farming data and experience (cocoa tree agrosystem, productiveness, cocoa farm regeneration, processing strategies, preservation, packaging, and extra).
- surroundings and high quality (sustainable environmental administration, consciousness of cocoa traceability, well being necessities, and so forth).
On the premise of the prognosis and all the information collected, the PAD-CACAO staff determined to focus its help on supplying high-performance seeds and strengthening the agricultural data of the Rural Ladies of the Littoral.
This represents a fantastic step ahead for the cooperative. We will probably be conserving a detailed eye on the outcomes of those actions over the approaching months!
Picture of the Rural Ladies of the Littoral on the cooperative’s head workplace in Ihund.
