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 Improvement.
To determine the principle areas of intervention, the PAD-CACAO mission deployed a Nationwide Coordination crew in Ihund (the cooperative’s head workplace) on 22 and 23 Could 2024, with a view to perform a participatory analysis with the affiliation’s members.
By way of discussions and sharing of experiences, this participatory analysis was meant to:
Analysis targets and course of
By way of discussions and sharing of experiences, this participatory analysis was meant to:
- gather socio-economic information on the cooperative’s members in order that actions could be tailored;
- perceive the principle difficulties encountered by the ladies producers and collect their recommendations;
- outline an motion plan to achieve the cooperative’s targets.
To satisfy a most variety of ladies cocoa farmers, the Nationwide Coordination crew went to Ihund, in addition to to the three places of work 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 have 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 girl producer;
- her manufacturing, processing and advertising information;
- her monetary habits;
- any issues she has encountered and any recommendations she might have for future motion.
Filling in identification sheets at Iaakok
The aim of gathering this data was to find out the income-generating actions, listing the manufacturing issues, prioritise probably the most worthwhile crops and thus set up an motion plan to assist the cooperative to realize its targets.
The outcomes of the analysis
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.
However, evaluation of the info collected helped us to determine main socio-economic traits among the many cooperative’s members. The next are a couple of key figures:
- solely 17% of the members are beneath the age of 35 (the strenuousness of the work is thus to be taken under consideration sooner or later actions to be carried out);
- 61% of the members have a main schooling stage and 35% a secondary schooling stage;
- 7 ladies are financially depending on their family;
- 100% of the ladies members of the cooperative make their residing from the advertising of agricultural merchandise, and solely 4% increase 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 so forth.);
- 74% of the monetary sources come from the producers’ personal cash;
- 40% of the members save their sources 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 momentary worker standing.
Strengths
Every farmer has between one and 4 plots of meals crops on common, and one hectare of cocoa timber. The analysis recognized the crops that should be intensified with a view to pool advertising (primarily cassava and maize).
Due to the survey, it was additionally doable to determine the pure sources obtainable within the rural space of Ihund, and the extra revenue alternatives they might create as soon as developed.
The principle difficulties
Nevertheless, the survey additionally revealed main difficulties encountered by ladies producers.
They talked about specifically the infertility of the soil (generally bolstered by the observe of slash-and-burn agriculture), the presence of bugs and pests that break harvests, important 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 at the moment beneath growth, however the producers deplore the poor state of the roads and the dearth of technique of transport, which make advertising very tough.
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 assist the cooperative members for 3 years in all elements of growing their enterprise:
- enterprise administration, management, administrative and monetary administration, negotiation,
- tools and infrastructure upkeep,
- cocoa farming information and experience (cocoa tree agrosystem, productiveness, cocoa farm regeneration, processing strategies, preservation, packaging, and extra).
- setting and high quality (sustainable environmental administration, consciousness of cocoa traceability, well being necessities, and so forth).
On the premise of the analysis and all the info collected, the PAD-CACAO crew determined to focus its assist on supplying high-performance seeds and strengthening the agricultural information of the Rural Ladies of the Littoral.
This represents an awesome step ahead for the cooperative. We will likely be retaining a detailed eye on the outcomes of those actions over the approaching months!
Photograph of the Rural Ladies of the Littoral on the cooperative’s head workplace in Ihund.
