Page 195 - AFAP Success Stories 2020

The Nine-Year Wait for

Farmers to Benefit from

their Efforts with regards

Aggregation and Good

Post-Harvest Handling is

Over

Challenges Initiative
Farmers working with M & J Multipurpose Enterprises AFAP, in partnership with M & J Enterprises Ltd, matched
Ltd had never benefited from their sweat of aggregating the cost of the 12.5MT Fuso truck to make transport of
produce since their relationship started in 2010. Season the aggregated produce easy and cheaper. Each of the
after season farmers had been selling their produce when parties raised 50% so that the smallholder farmers could
the prices are very low, and their share of the bargain benefit from their maize harvest. AFAP also linked M & J to
would be taken by the middlemen/traders who owned an off-taker, Export Trading Group (ETG), which is buying
means of transport and knew where the market was. In their maize competitively to benefit the smallholder
total, these two farmer groups have been harvesting and farmers. The off-taker is buying the maize and selling the
aggregating at least 300MT per season but have been farmers fertilizer.
losing on average USD0.06 to USD0.09 for every kilogram M & J, using AFAP’s advice, has established an input
of maize harvested. This amounts to USD18 000 to USD27 credit facility for organized smallholder farmers. It runs
000 in a single season. This can surely have a ripple for an entire season, including plowing services with 100
effect on smallholder farmers’ communities and equally farmers. Each season an average of 300 acres are open
motivate for sector development. M & J Multipurpose for cultivation for the group members. Farmers under
Enterprises Ltd has been with these smallholder farmers Tukolehamo have also come up with a Savings and
shoulder to shoulder to see that they benefit from their Credit Cooperative (SACCO). Additionally, AFAP-funded
hard work since 2010. demand-creation activities in which demo gardens
The farmers also had difficulties in opening large areas of and radio programs have been running all year round
land and information about available fertilizers and other to create awareness of available inputs and respond to
inputs on the market. farmer concerns.

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