Success Story: Association Restores Farmer's hope for cocoa business
Lofa County, Liberia
Mr. James Tamba Yasadu, a 62-year-old cocoa farmer, lives in the village of Yasudu in the Foya District of Lofa County. According to Mr. Yasadu, he has one of the largest cocoa farms in the district, but like his compatriots in the area, the fourteen year civil war left his farm in ruin (overgrown, diseased, and pest damaged).
Since his return from Sierra Leone, Mr. Yasadu did not realize a good harvest from his 16.9 ha (42 acres) of cocoa in five seasons due to black pod disease and other disease and pest problems on the farm. Post harvest activities, such as fermentation and drying, were not properly conducted due to his limited knowledge of them. Local buyers bought cocoa in the area at prices as low as 35 cents per kilogram. Without an end to this trend in site, Mr. Yasadu was not optimistic about the future.
His fortunes changed, however, by becoming a member of the SARGBAIN Cocoa Farmers’ Association, a newly-formed association in his district. The association, in which he serves as treasurer, has 500 members in sixteen villages and is comprised mostly of cocoa farmers, wives of farmers, widows and single-mothers.
The association is supported by ACDI/VOCA’s Livelihood Improvement for Farming Enterprises (LIFE) project. LIFE encourages farmers to form associations through which farmers increase the success of their farms while reducing their vulnerability to crop failure through the diversification of revenue sources. LIFE facilitators work with the association to train members in production management, disease prevention and quality control techniques and to promote the integration of horticulture crops as additional sources of income. Facilitators also work with associations to implement marketing activities and bulk selling of cocoa, which enables members to capture the highest possible prices for their improved cocoa.
Through the association, Mr. Yasadu determined that he needed to clear the plant debris in which crop disease persisted and spread from the farm. Through community meetings, he learned the farm management techniques that allowed him to reverse this trend as well as other quality improvement skills, which he earnestly applied. As a result, Mr. Yasadu was able to realize a sale of 750 kg of cocoa beans through the association during the October 2009 harvest season at $1.50 per kilogram.
“I have never sold cocoa for a price this good since I have been in the business,” he reports. Mr. Yasadu is now a strong advocate for other cocoa farmers to join the association to acquire the techniques necessary for success.
WCF thanks ACDI/VOCA for contributing this story.
Read about Livelihood Improvement For Farming Enterprises Program - Liberia