Co-operative News - Ghana

Actress raises awareness for women's co-ops in Ghana

Emily Barker — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:46:13 +0000

BAFTA nominated UK comic Jessica Hynes learnt the true meaning of girl power after visiting the Akoma Co-operative Ghana.

The Akoma Co-op is made up entirely of women who process, make and sell pure shea butter. Jessica is hoping to raise awareness of the Akoma women and others like them this Fairtrade Fortnight.

This International Women’s Day she is going make-up free, wearing nothing but the Akoma Shea Millions made by the 73 women from the co-operative. She will be going bare-faced and taking part in a Twitter Thunderclap in order to support Fairtrade women’s co-ops like Akoma.

She explains: "I recently visited Ghana and was moved by the way these women operated together as a team. Shea butter here is called ‘women’s gold’. People believe it will bring wealth to the region and touch a million lives, just as cocoa has brought income and empowerment to women in Fairtrade in the south of the country.

"Everyone needs to be given a fair price for what they grow. Here in Akoma they are producing a great quality product which is the basis for so many others we can buy at home. I want to let people know about this wonderful group of women and what they are doing to strengthen one of the poorest communities in the world."

Pusu-Namogo village, where the co-op is based, is in one of the poorest parts of Ghana, with high illiteracy rates and low school attendance.

Jessica, with her nine year old daughter Bee, visited the co-op to find out how the cosmetic staple is made and learn about the benefits of Fairtrade for women.

The Akoma Shea Million product is a soothing shea butter and extremely therapeutic, helping to renew cracked, aged and damaged skin. Rich in vitamins A and E, Akoma’s Shea Millions is certified organic by the Soil Association, and is Fairtrade.

Juliana Sampana, the president of the co-operative, says life has been hard for many: "Women in this region have worked so hard to put food on their tables for their families through farming and odd jobs but end up with an unfair income which leads to poor diet and health problems such as beriberi and other diseases. But with Fairtrade certification the women are assured of receiving a fair wage for their hard work."

Jessica added: “‘I now hope that I can help these incredible women touch more lives with their hard work and strength by showing people in the UK how wonderful the shea butter is and why they should be supporting such co-operatives too.”

To sign up to the Twitter Thunderclap, vist: http://ow.ly/hV7FH, or follow @FairtradeUKNews and @JefficaHoons.

A meeting of co-operatives – The Co-op and Suma visit Kuapa Kokoo

Rosanna Mayhew — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 15:07:39 +0000

Here’s Divine’s Wendy Rowan reporting on her first trip to Ghana:

Saturday 19th January

We left a snow bound London to arrive in Accra at 10.30 at night with the temperature at a humid 32 degrees. The heat just hits you, right there, at the back of the throat, taking your breath away. Immigration procedure was long and tortuous in the non air-conditioned airport terminal – embarkation cards completed, signed & handed over, iris recognition image scanned, finger prints taken, yellow fever inoculation certificate checked. Our driver was waiting in arrivals and we sped away for our first night in Ghana at the Airside Hotel.

Lots of these little chaps at our hotel

We were a party of five – myself and my colleague Alistair Menzies from Divine Chocolate, Jenny Dixon and Rachael Gray from The Co-operative and Jenny Carlyle from Suma, the wholefood wholesaler worker’s co-operative in Elland, Yorkshire.

Sunday 20th January

Sunday morning we were up with the cockerels and breakfasted in the Zara restaurant. A splendid buffet catered for everyone’s tastes and offered a delicious choice from fresh pineapple & papaya to rice and spicy beef curry.

Today was going to be a leisurely day visiting tourist attractions and making our way to Kumasi, Ghana’s second city. We were collected by our drivers who were going to accompany us on the whole trip – Enoch, Joe and Abdulai.

The forbidding door leading to a holding room for slaves at Elmina Castle

We set off westward to Elmina Castle. Built by the Portuguese traders in the late 1400’s, the castle was built to protect the gold trade. But following its capture by the Dutch in 1637, it came to serve the Dutch slave trade with Brazil and the Caribbean. The Castle housed luxury suites on the upper levels for the European governor, traders and soldiers. The slave dungeons below were cramped, dark and filthy cells housing up to 600 men and 400 women at a time. The governor could look down from his balcony on to the courtyard where the women slaves would be lined up and he could choose his companion for the night. At the seaboard side of the castle was the infamous “Door of No Return” through which the slaves passed through one by one to board to waiting ships that would take them on a treacherous journey across the Atlantic. Over three centuries it is estimated that 60 million slaves were captured with only 20 million surviving capture, imprisonment and the journey to the New World. We all knew something about the slave trade but to see where the slaves were imprisoned in dark, dank, squalid conditions brought home the true horrors endured by Africans for three centuries.

We continued 4 kilometres from the coast to the Hans Cottage Botel where we stopped for lunch. Holiday cottages and a restaurant situated in a lagoon which is home to crocodiles, turtles and many birds. Although the crocodiles are said to be friendly, we weren’t going to risk getting too close and stuck to taking photos from behind the safety of the wall. We were however, very adventurous with our choice of food and all opted for the Ghanaian traditional fayre of beans, rice and fried plantain. And very tasty it was too.

A big smile from the croc

Next stop was the Kakum Rainforest National Park. Here a 40m canopy walkway suspended between trees gives a breathtaking view of the forest. We shared the experience with a group of ladies and gents in their Sunday best – men in their brightly coloured printed shirts and the ladies beautiful in their colourful traditional African dresses. And with a gaggle of giggling Ghanaian girls on a church trip out to the forest wilds all dressed up in their trendy, western Sunday best. A 20 minute climb through the moist & humid forest, passing indigenous trees which were hundreds of years old and accompanied by the sounds of cicadas brings you to a wooden platform. From here you step on to the walkway – a narrow wooden plank suspended by rope and netting and underpinned by a few steel bars. At the circular tree house there was a choice to be the adventurer and do 7 more walkways or take it easy and do just 3 more or as I did, take the scaredy-cat option and go back the way we came and get on to terra firma as soon as possible. Exhilarated after our adventure, it was then back on the road for the 4 hour journey to Kumasi along the “B” road – a long and winding dirt road, deep rusty

Kakun Aerial Walkway

red in colour with plenty of pot holes. Either side of the road was forest vegetation – plantain, banana, papaya and palm trees and road side vendors selling their home-grown produce – water melons, pineapples, oranges, lemons, coconuts and freshly fried plantain chips. We passed villages with unstructured layouts bustling with activity and always with a cleared level area for the football pitch with goal posts either end. We were happy to at last to arrive at Kumasi and check in to the Rees Hotel, where we could revive our hot & dusty selves. We ate in the hotel that evening a mixture of European and Ghanaian dishes.

Monday 21st January

Refreshed and well rested, we met up early morning for an unusual breakfast – spring onion omelette with cold baked beans and 4 triangles of barely toasted, sweet white bread. Surprisingly tasty.

Collected by our trusty drivers we headed from the hotel to Kuapa Kokoo offices where we met up with Francis who was going to be our translator and Vincent who was in charge of taking photos & video recording. Kuapa Kokoo is the co-operative of cocoa farmers who grow all the cocoa which goes in to making Divine Chocolate - and own 45% of the company.

The ancient capital of the Ashanti kingdom, Kumasi has a population of 1.5 million and judging by the gridlocked roads, the same number of cars. It took time and patience to drive out of the city, the roads noisy with horns tooting and nose to tail with yellow painted taxis, motor bikes, seriously large 4 by 4’s, tro tros – the Ghanaian equivalent of the mini bus, with passengers sardined inside and outside packed high with all their belongings – goats included tied to the roofs.

The city sprawls on forever with a ramshackle shanty town – dwellings fronted by trading posts selling everything from car engines, doors, coffins, beds, carpets to all manner of electrical appliances. And all along the carriage way are street sellers offering their wares to the hot & frustrated drivers – bags of cooled water, refreshing coconuts, snacks, pieces of water melon, handkerchiefs, sim cards, loaves of bread, all displayed beautifully in baskets and bowls carried securely and proudly on the head.

Here we all are at Amankwatia

Eventually the landscape changed to a more rural setting and we turned off the main road and arrived at Amankwatia village. In 2010 to celebrate 5 years of sourcing cocoa from Kuapa Kokoo for their own label Truly Irresistible range of chocolate, The Co-operative co-funded with Kuapa Kokoo the building of a new Junior High School. Jenny & Rachael from The Co-op were here to see how the school was doing and how it was benefitting the 13-19 year old students from Amankwatia and the surrounding villages. We were welcomed in to the village with singing and hand clapping by about 50 cocoa farmers who had given up their time to greet us. We were introduced to the Recorder Samuel Antwi, the society secretary, the village chief who was also a member of Kuapa, and Adwoa Asianaa he oldest cocoa farmer at 83 years- a feisty lady who looked half her age and who had harvested 20 bags of cocoa that season - and the youngest at 42 years. As well as the school, the benefits to the village for being members of Kuapa Kokoo and co-owning Divine Chocolate have been the installation of a corn mill, solar panels for electricity, and machetes for each farmer – a vital tool for the harvesting of cocoa. And an opportunity for the women to learn new skills to supplement their income – tie dying and soap making with the cocoa pod husks.

Jenny from Suma learns how to crack open a cocoa pod

We took a short walk out of the village in to the forest where the cocoa trees grow amongst the orange and papaya trees. It’s near the end of the season and the weather has been unseasonably hot but there were still pods ripening. We were shown how to harvest a cocoa pod – with care and diligence so as not to damage the trunk, how to slice it open with the machete and remove the beans. We all got a taste of the sweet white flesh surrounding the bean. The farmers work as one team, harvesting, fermenting and drying the beans together going from one farm to the next in what is known in Twi as “ Nnoboa” – you help me and I’ll help you & let’s work together. Having read how it’s done, seen the films on how it’s done, and heard the farmers tell me how it’s done, it was wonderful to actually be part of the harvest and an honour to be presented with a freshly harvested, weighty cocoa pod.

Returning to the village we met the school’s headmaster and were introduced to the senior class. The students were shy

It’s really useful to have a bike

so what better way to break the ice than to ask them to do a bit of Azonto dancing for us! Two willing dancers soon got the class clapping and laughing. On a more serious note, one of the students, 19 years old and luckily still in education, said how much he would love a bicycle to make his 6 mile journey to and from the school a little easier. Many of the students come from neighbouring cocoa growing villages and the time it takes for the journey impacts on their learning time.

Time to say our goodbyes and thank the villagers for their hospitality with gifts of Co-op T shirts, pens and pencils for the students and soaps for the ladies.

On route back to Kumasi we stopped off at the regional depot where all the sacks of cocoa are delivered, weighed, recorded, graded and then loaded on to a truck for shipment to the port of Tema. Rachael from the Co-op, in her role as technical & quality manager was full of praise for the efficient and accurate traceability systems in place.

A dinner hosted by Kuapa staff and members of the Farmers Union was a lovely end to a fabulous day.

Tuesday 22nd January

In the morning we went to the Kuapa Farmer’s Union offices where Esther presented the history and mission of Kuapa Kokoo to give us a first-hand understanding of the workings of the co-operative. We also had the pleasure of meeting members of the NEC – National Executive Committee, the elected members of the farmer’s union. It was a pleasure to meet up with old friends – Elias Mohammed who had come to the UK for Fairtrade Fortnight in 2012 and who I’d had the honour of accompanying around Scotland, and Fatima Ali who I had been with in Cardiff in 2011.

We then headed off to New Koforidua, a village which serves as a centre to a community of 5,200 people. Here the school was funded by the Fairtrade premium and the community house was funded by The Co-operative. The community house serves as a meeting place, library and conference centre. We were welcomed by Walter Alifo, the headmaster and driving force behind the success of the village, and cocoa farmers from the villages and all the students. New Koforidua is a fine example of the benefits of Fairtrade as it is not only twinned with Garstang in Lancashire, the first UK Fairtrade town but is also calls itself the first Fairtrade village in Africa. Important visitors are given the honour of planting sapling cocoa trees outside the community centre – trees planted by Brad Hill from The Co-operative in 2010 and Sophi Tranchell the MD at Divine Chocolate in 2012 are growing tall & strong. Now the honour fell to Jenny from Suma to plant her sapling. May all the trees flourish and produce a good harvest.

It was photo opportunity time with students putting on this year’s Comic Relief Red Noses and posing with giant Dubble bars – and throwing Divine chocolate coins up in the air to encourage everyone in the UK to “Do Something Funny for Money “ this Red Nose Day.

We had also been given books to distribute which written & illustrated by the students from Surbiton High School. These were very well received and the students were full of admiration for the wonderful illustrations. We lunched under the shade of the trees and admired the village, the school and community centre. And then it was time to say our goodbyes and head to Kumasi airport and on to the winter cold & snow of the UK.

This is me in the depot – each of these sacks weighs more than me

I have worked for Divine Chocolate for nearly six years and during that time have met a few of the cocoa farmers on their visits to the UK during Fairtrade Fortnight and have heard their stories, and learnt a great deal about cocoa production and the global cocoa & chocolate industry. Actually visiting Ghana and seeing for myself how Fairtrade and farmer-ownership have improved the lives of cocoa farmers at first-hand has been an enlightening experience. Seeing the benefits of trading fairly and investing in the health and education of the next generation has made me more determined to make sure Divine is the chocolate bar of choice for all of us chocolate lovers.

Filed under: cocoa farmers, Coop, cooperatives, farmers' co-operative, Ghana, Kuapa Kokoo, Uncategorized Tagged: cocoa farmers, Farmer co-operatives, Kuapa Kokoo, Suma Wholefoods, The Co-operative

Kuapa Kokoo launches its own radio show – “The Hour” Kuapa-style

Rosanna Mayhew — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 11:21:22 +0000

Recording the “Kuapa Hour”

When you are a farmers’ co-operative with 65,000 members, many of whom are almost illiterate, living in village societies spread all over the Western and Central regions of Ghana often deep in the rainforest, how do you ensure all your members really understand how the organisation works, and the benefits and opportunities of belonging? This is Kuapa Kokoo’s really big communications challenge and one of its top priorities. Increasingly farmers have access to mobile phones which helps, but this isn’t a channel that fosters good community spirit and the idea of shared ownership.

Up to now the most successful way of disseminating information throughout the organisation is through outreach teams that regularly visit all regions, and through encouraging societies to gather regularly to discuss local issues, and then cascading information up and down the organisation. One medium that most farmers can easily access is radio – and radio as a forum for open discussion is extremely popular in Ghana, as well as for general entertainment. The idea of Kuapa Kokoo’s own radio programme was mooted last year, and it was an idea that took root. Divine Chocolate offered funding support, and over the following months the communications team at Kuapa Kokoo developed ideas for a pilot series of programmes, and liaised with us at Divine for advice on how to ensure maximum appeal and value to the audience.

An then in November this year they went live – with the first Kuapa Hour – or in Twi – Kuapa Mmere. For eight consecutive weeks the programme went out on Monday evening from 7.00 – 8.00 on Debeat FM – which covers 15 areas in the Western Region where Kuapa members are largely concentrated. The aim was to ensure the membership was really fully informed about what the Kuapa organisation does for farmers, the benefits of being a member, and particularly about the aspects of Kuapa Kokoo that really sets it apart from any other cocoa buying companies in Ghana. In between the sections where Kuapa elected representitives and Kuapa staff were interviewed by the radio presenter on different aspects of the organisation, there were jingles, music, and singing to ensure the programme was pacey and entertaining. As hoped, most popular was the phone-in section – with farmers – both members and non-members – calling in to ask questions and give witness to their own experiences.

The programmes tackled issues such as the benefits of democracy and co-operation, and the role Fairtrade has and is playing in the success of the organisation, and how the members vote for how the Fairtrade Premium is used and invested. They talked about farming issues, good practice, and went into some detail about Kuapa’s own Child Labour Awareness Programme which has been particularly active in the Western Region. Monitoring the success and reach of the programme, the Kuapa team heard that groups would gather round individual radios, or whole villages would listen to it via a rigged up public address system.

Notes were taken of how many farmers called in each time and of all the points raised and made. There were those like Augustine in Kroboline who rang just to say how proud hearing the programme made them feel to be a member, and others like Gifty from Sefwi-Boako and Elizabeth from Adabokrom who rang to say what they had heard had persuaded them to join. Some rang to tell their own personal experience of benefits they had received – Owura from Nyametease society reported that all the members in his region had received their bonuses, and Kwaku from Akrafu Society let listeners know that the mobile clinic that had come to them had saved the life of a fellow farmer suffering from a hernia.

Two programmes attracted the most callers. The one which told the farmers more about Divine Chocolate the company in which Kuapa has a 45% stake was a big hit. One caller suggested that Kuapa members’ children should learn more about chocolate production at school, and another was interested to know how to become a Kuapa ambassador visiting UK for Fairtrade Fortnight. The other programme which raised most discussion looked at the issue of child labour and made clear Kuapa’s policy on this. It was a very useful exercise as it aired key questions about what constitutes child labour, and whether children can help on farms outside school hours. Kuapa was able to report on the success of the Child Labour Awareness Programme across the region, and how many more children were now in school, the benefits of education more fully understood, with additional assistance to families given where needed.

Over the eight weeks the Kuapa Mmere show got 84 callers who actually got through – both members and non-members. The radio station reported many more trying to get through after the programme was over – it was pretty clear that the 15-20 minute call-in slot wasn’t enough! It’s proved a really effective forum for farmers to talk about both farming issues and practice, and the very many different benefits of belonging to the co-operative. Farmers wanted to talk about constitutional issues as much as bonuses and training. It is a great way to share information, and for farmers literally to have a voice, and to spread the message wider. As well as generating a feeling of pride amongst the members, its success has been a real affirmation of Kuapa’s continuing innovative approach to ensuring its members really see the value of belonging and participating. A new series of programmes reaching more Kuapa members is in the pipeline.

Filed under: farmers' co-operative, Ghana, Kuapa Kokoo Tagged: Communicating Fairtrade to farmers, Communications, Farmer co-operatives, Ghana radio

What do women get out of joining Kuapa Kokoo

Rosanna Mayhew — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 10:58:06 +0000

I’ve just been to Ghana for some meetings at Kuapa Kokoo - we’ve been working together on communications strategy. I haven’t been for a several months, so it is always very good to catch up with everyone. It was also great to go out to Bipoa and Bayerebon3 again and spend whole days in the villages talking with farmers and hearing how things are going, and reporting back from Divine Chocolate.

The women’s group in Bipoa

There are women’s groups in both villages – and they are clearly a real force within the community. I sat and asked a few women about their farms, their families and why they had joined Kuapa – and the obvious benefits of belonging to these vocal and supportive groups was a clear incentive. Elizabeth Antegoa lives in Bipoa where the first Kuapa women’s group was formed. She joined Kuapa Kokoo a year ago. “I wanted to be part of the women’s group, ”she says. And she describes how much she has gained from joining. “We all join together and we help each other. Together we have learned skills like making soap and screen-printing – and this helps us earn our own money.”

Elizabeth Antegoa

“I like the way women are encouraged in Kuapa Kokoo,” she adds. At the moment Elizabeth only has one room in someone else’s house. Her dream is to make enough money to have her own house with a kitchen and bedrooms. “The women’s group will help me make it happen,” she says.

I talked to Georgina Oppong in Bayerebon3. She joined Kuapa Kokoo three years ago, and said she’d joined first and foremost because “everything is fair”. Then she talked about how proud she is to belong to the local Kuapa women’s group. Together they have requested a loan from the credit union, to give them seed money for setting up their income-generating businesses. Georgina sells fish at the local market to augment her income from cocoa.

Georgina Oppong

Women make up about a third of the membership of Kuapa Kokoo – and the development of the groups and the benefits they bring to women is a testament to the really proactive approach Kuapa has taken to its gender equality programme. The women are not just learning new income-generating skills alongside cocoa farming – but also really honing them. The tie-dye and batik fabrics I saw this time were considerably more sophisticated than those I saw a year ago. It seems to me that the women’s groups are creating a growing potential to bring in additional income to families and also to the organisation. It’s also clear to see that participation in the women’s groups builds women’s confidence, and they are increasingly putting themselves forward for elected positions in the cooperative – and taking on leading roles.

Lovely tie-dye samples from the Women’s Group in Amankwatia

Filed under: cocoa farmers, farmers' co-operative, Farming, Ghana, Kuapa Kokoo, Women empowered Tagged: cocoa farmers, empowering women, Ghana

Reporting, voting and celebrating – it’s the 18th Kuapa farmers’ AGM

Rosanna Mayhew — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 16:54:52 +0000

Sophi Tranchell reports from this years AGM in Ghana:

Peter Bennett Jones tries out the well at Kwabeng Society

I’ve just returned from my annual pilgrimage to Kuapa Kokoo’s AGM to report to them on how Divine is doing. On the way there the Chair of Comic Relief, Peter Benet Jones and I visited Kwabeng, which is the President’s Society. It was the first time Peter had been to a Kuapa farm to see cocoa growing and how beans are dried on a bamboo table. Comic Relief has supported Kuapa Kokoo since 1994 but this is the first time Peter had visited the farmers. He made a nice speech about his family farming in Britain and was delighted to see the water well that Kuapa had sunk using Fairtrade premiums. I was joined later by Hannah from Twin and Rosie from Body Shop – it was their first Kuapa AGM and a great introduction to this amazing co-operative.

One of the Kuapa Women’s Groups displaying their batik and tie-dye

The AGM was a celebration. There was a great display from the Women’s project with stalls displaying the different products that Kuapa women had made or grown. Beautiful batiks including ones with Kuapa’s logo, soap from palm oil and cocoa pods, palm oil, garry and lots of fresh produce.

The delegates meeting began with a presentation of the combined offices and conference centre that Kuapa is proposing to build so that all the different parts of Kuapa could be in one building. They then discussed the use of Fairtrade Premiums; the farmers were keen to receive cash bonuses and machetes but also recognised the need to invest in the business. The roving medical clinics which had visited 30 districts were held up as a success, as was the women’s project. Kuapa has invested significantly in internal controls to ensure that they are delivering on their Fairtrade promises, they also run one of the only farmer-run Child Labour Awareness Programmes which has attracted the support of ILO. The meeting also agreed to a set up a constitution review committee and elected members to sit on it.

Sophi, Madam President and Chief Barima Ofe Akwasi Okogyeasuo II on the top table

The second day was the formal business of the AGM. As we entered, the women, who were very well represented, were dancing and singing Kuapa songs. The meeting was chaired by Barima Ofe Akwasi Okogyeasuo II, a local Chief who arrived with his full entourage. He had a young man to hold the official parasol over his head for the whole length of the proceedings! He was adorned in brightly coloured Kente cloth and Ashanti gold. There were speeches from the President, The MD of KKL and many honoured guests including Cocobod, Kraft and visiting farmers from Cameroon.

Sophi joins the dancing

Regina kindly translated my speech into Twi as I presented my speech. I focussed on two programmes that Divine has supported through our Producer Support & Development fund. Firstly, the membership database, so that Kuapa can look after its members and run its operations more efficiently. Kuapa now has 65,000 members, 21,000 are women. They deliver 42,000 tonnes of cocoa which is nearly 1% of the world’s cocoa. The database is an essential tool. Kuapa is also doing a pilot series of hour long radio programmes to promote the benefits of being a member of Kuapa and to share important information with the farmers many of whom are deep in the rainforest and very remote.

In the evening we had a great party in the grounds of Kuapa’s offices with a local band singing in Twi, a popcorn machine and lots of food, drink and dancing. Those Internal Control Officers sure can dance!

Filed under: cocoa farmers, Coop, cooperatives, Divine Chocolate, Fairtrade, Ghana, Kuapa Kokoo, Women empowered Tagged: Co-operative, Comic Relief, Fairtrade, Fairtrade premium, farmer-owned, Ghana, Ghanaian cocoa

fairtrade: Fairtrade has helped me get money for myself and my...

AnthonyMurray — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 12:11:10 +0000

fairtrade:

Fairtrade has helped me get money for myself and my children, and to buy food to eat and to look after my day to day life.

Isaac Frimpong, a cocoa farmer with Kuapa Kokoo in Ghana, and his wife and their four kids benefit from Fairtrade.

Read more about the Fairtrade impact in cocoa here.

Photo by Simon Rawles

fairtrade: Fairtrade has helped me get money for myself and my...

AnthonyMurray — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 08:22:15 +0000

fairtrade:

Fairtrade has helped me get money for myself and my children, and to buy food to eat and to look after my day to day life.

Isaac Frimpong, a cocoa farmer with Kuapa Kokoo in Ghana, and his wife and their four kids benefit from Fairtrade.

Read more about the Fairtrade impact in cocoa here.

Photo by Simon Rawles

A cocoa farmer remembers his first trip to UK

Rosanna Mayhew — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 12:31:19 +0000

Elias Mohammed took his first flight out of Ghana this year to join Divine Chocolate as an ambassador for Kuapa Kokoo on a tour round UK for Fairtrade Fortnight. Here he remembers his impressions of the visit:

Elias Mohammed by his scales at Bayerebon3 (photo: Kim Naylor)

Bayerebon No. 3 society, where I am recorder sees a lot of visitors from all over the world every year! People in my village always asked me one question I was never able to answer “da ben n’abrofo be ba abe fa wo ako won kuromu?” (when will the whites invite you to their country)? I had heard many tales of how beautiful “Abrokyire”(abroad) is and I always imagined myself there.

My dreams came true early this year when I was selected to participate in the Fairtrade fortnight! I was so excited. My wives were elated when I informed them about the trip. I was in high spirits until I was refused a visa! I thought that was the end but thanks to Divine Chocolate, I was eventually issued a visa after an appeal. This problem cut short my stay by two days!

The flight was good and the food was even better. I thought the Airport in Ghana was big and beautiful until we reached Heathrow. I couldn’t believe my eyes! It is so big, beautiful and busy! David of Divine Chocolate whisked me immediately to my hotel after going through immigration process.

My days in the UK were very interesting. I met many people: Fairtrade officials, other producers like me, school children etc. We had a very busy schedule travelling from place to place in England and in Scotland to attend events and give speeches. I really enjoyed the encounter with school children. The enthusiasm of the supporters of Fairtrade and their love of Divine Chocolate encouraged me to always produce beans that are Pa pa paa (best of the best!).

Elias asked if he could visit a farm – here he is with Agnes and Wendy meeting Martin at Ripple Farm in Kent

Elias talking to pupils at Dunbar Primary School

Upon my return to Ghana, everyone calls me “Burger” (a term used to describe people who have just returned from abroad). I feel proud when people call me that. I admit I would have liked more time to go shopping and more sight-seeing, but I think my trip was very successful.

The high point of my visit was people smiling and saying thank you after my presentation.

Filed under: cocoa farmers, Fairtrade, Fairtrade Fortnight, Ghana, Kuapa Kokoo Tagged: cocoa, Divine Chocolate, Fairtrade, Fairtrade Fortnight, Ghana, Kuapa Kokoo

Cocoa and Co-operatives

Rosanna Mayhew — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 16:32:05 +0000

Latest post from guest blogger, teacher and author (and cocoa industry specialist) Michael Niemann:

Members of the Kuapa Kokoo co-operative working together
(photo:Brian Moody)

A farmers’ co-operative is an independent organization of farmers who pool their resources for mutual benefit. Farmers have formed such co-operatives around the world ever since agricultural produce became commodities traded on exchanges. Co-operatives strengthen farmers’ bargaining power, help them survive volatile markets and reap the benefits of cooperation.

Cocoa farmers around the world were no exception. When the mass production of cocoa began in West Africa around the end of the 19th century, farmers in Ghana, the Côte d’Ivoire and other countries formed farmers unions and co-operatives to help each other with the physical labor required to clear brush, plant trees and, most importantly, to deal with the colonial authorities. Strikes and protests against low prices and lack of extension services were common during the first half of the 20th century. Today’s fair-trade co-operatives are simply a the most recent incarnation of that long-standing organizational form.

Fair-trade cooperatives play a significant role in connecting farmers with consumers along the fair-trade commodity chain. Their primary tasks are the collection and storage of cocoa beans before export, the provision of extension services, the provision of credit, and the distribution of the fair-trade and social premiums. How they do this varies according to the circumstances.

In Ghana, cocoa is king. It’s the most important export crop for the country and the Ghanaian government manages many aspects of the crop through the COCOBOD, the Ghanaian Cocoa Board. COCOBOD is the sole exporter of cocoa from Ghana, which means that all cocoa farmers have to sell their crop to the board. Since the reforms of the 1990s, the process of selling cocoa to COCOBOD has been liberalized and private produce purchasing companies buy the beans from farmers and sell them to the board. The threat of being exploited by unscrupulous middlemen was one of the key reasons Kuapa Kokoo was formed. The cooperative serves as a produce purchasing company that connects the farmers to the COCOBOD. Since Kuapa represents its65,000+ farmers, the farmers can rest assured that they are paid the legally set price.

Cocoa farmers in Ghana join Kuapa Kokoo as village societies. This isn’t odd because in the cocoa belt, entire villages are engaged in cocoa production. Each village society has elected representatives that serve at the district and national level, representing their local members. Those same representatives also are responsible for paying the local farmers for the cocoa they deliver to the collection centers. Kuapa Kokoo also distributes the social premium paid to farmers through the Kuapa Kokoo Trust. Individual village societies apply for funds from the trust to finance community projects like schools, water pumps etc.

Cocoa farmers in southern Belize represent just a small fraction of the farming population. Citrus and other produce are bigger crops than cocoa. Members of the Toledo Cocoa Growers Association, live scattered among the villages of the Maya mountains in southern Belize. Like its counterpart in Ghana, the TCGA represents its members to the cocoa buyers. Unlike in Ghana, there is no government marketing board, so the cooperative sells directly to the buyers. It also pays the farmers from the proceeds.

When it comes to the social premium, however, the TCGA follows a different methods. Since there are no village societies, the funds are used to create infrastructure that benefits all coop members, for example common facilities for drying the cocoa after fermentation to insure quality. The social premium also supports a scholarship fund for the children of cocoa farmers. The TCGA also provides extension services and helps farmer produce the best crop possible. Finally, the TCGA deals with issues of land tenure. Given that cocoa is a long term investment for farmers, security of tenure is crucial. But Maya traditions of communal land ownership can at times become a problem and the TCGA helps farmers negotiate in those conditions.

Farmers’ co-operatives are flexible organizations. The two examples above show how their structure and activities reflect the unique circumstances farmers face in different parts of the world. The common theme, however, is that they do what they do at the behest of their members and are therefore homegrown organizations that help give farmers a voice.

Filed under: cocoa, cocoa farmers, cooperatives, Kuapa Kokoo Tagged: #coops2012, Belize, Cote D'Ivoire, farmers' co-operative, Ghana, UN International Year of Cooperatives

Obama backs co-operative efforts against world hunger

AnthonyMurray — Mon, 21 May 2012 11:31:54 +0000

A partnership with co-operatives to fight global hunger has been announced by US President Barack Obama.

The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, part of the Grow Africa initiative, is a shared commitment between governments and private enterprises to achieve sustained and inclusive agricultural growth in Africa over the next ten years.

Announced at the G8 Symposium on Global Agriculture and Food Security in Washington on Friday, President Obama said: "Governments, like those in Africa, that are committed to agricultural development and food security, they agree to take the lead — building on their own plans by making tough reforms and attracting investment.

"Donor countries — including G8 members and international organisations — agree to more closely align our assistance with these country plans. And the private sector — from large multinationals to small African co-operatives, your NGOs and civil society groups — agree to make concrete and continuing commitments as well, so that there is an alignment between all these sectors."

The US$3 billion investment from the private sector will help to strengthen areas across the agricultural chain, including irrigation, processing, trading, financing and infrastructure, which will impact millions of smallholder farmers.

Rabobank, the global food and agribusiness bank, is the largest backer within the co-operative movement, which intends to launch a lending facility in West Africa that would provide up to US$135 million in loans over five years to small and medium‐size companies in the region which participate in the agricultural value chain, ranging from production, processing and logistics to services and technology.

Other co-operatives pledging support include ADMAS Farmers Cooperative Union, Ethiopia; Becho‐Weliso Farmers Cooperative Union, Ethiopia; and Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union, Ethiopia.

Added President Obama: "Today, I can announce that 45 companies — from major international corporations to African companies and co-operatives — have pledged to invest more than $3 billion to kick off this effort. And we’re also going to fast-track new agricultural projects so they reach those in need even quicker."

The President said "this has to be all hands on deck"; and that more nations, organisations, companies and NGOs should help with the challenges of development across the world.

He added: "We’re going to sustain the commitments we made three years ago, and we’re going to speed things up. And we’re starting with these three countries —Tanzania, Ghana and Ethiopia — precisely because of their record in improving agriculture and food security.

"But this is just the beginning. In the coming months, we’ll expand to six countries. We’ll welcome other countries that are committed to making tough reforms. We’ll welcome more companies that are willing to invest. We’re going to hold ourselves accountable; we’ll measure results. And we’ll stay focused on clear goals: boosting farmers’ incomes, and over the next decade, helping 50 million men, women and children lift themselves out of poverty."

President Obama announces the launch of the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition

Rabobank is one of 45 organisations to show a commitment to the initiative. Chief Executive Piet Moerland has signed a Letter of Intent with the International Finance Corporation to create the West Africa Agribusiness Development Corporation.

The scheme will initially be operated in Ghana, Nigeria and Cote d'Ivoire, but can easily be expanded into other countries. It aims to loan US$135m over five years through 200 intermediaries, which will benefit smallholder farmers.

WAAD is based on the proven concept in Latin America (LAAD), which has been successful in agri-finance for more than 40 years. Over these 40 years, LAAD has successfully realised its mission while showing increasingly healthy financials, generating over 120,000 new jobs in mainly rural areas. Over the next five years, the WAAD corporation will provide access to financial services to small- and medium-sized companies across the agricultural value chain in West Africa.

 Berry Marttin, member of the Executive Board Rabobank, said: “Feeding the world requires investing in agriculture, as farmers feed the world. And without Africa it will be impossible to meet the increasing demand for food worldwide in the coming decades. In most African countries access to finance is badly lacking. Through our subsidiary Rabo Development we undertake investment and advisory activities in Sub-Saharan Africa to increase finance options for agricultural entrepreneurs."

• For more information about the Grow Africa initiative, visit: www.growafrica.com