Worldwide demand for cocoa to make
chocolate products may be growing;
but that does not necessarily
point to increased income for cocoa farmers.
As
the cocoa industry gathers for the annual
International Cocoa Organisation
(ICCO) conference in Abidjan to discuss the future for
cocoa, Ghana’s Kuapa Kokoo, the biggest cocoa farmers’ cooperative
explains how Fairtrade,
democratic organization and farmer
empowerment are key to the success of its operations and the future livelihoods
of farmers.
According
to Christiana Ohene-Agyare, President of Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union, the co-operative
exists for the benefit of its members and Fairtrade has played a crucial role
in helping farmers improve their livelihoods.
“Fairtrade
has delivered significant additional income to Kuapa Kokoo and through our
democratic processes we have allocated that money. A significant part has been
paid directly to our farmer members and to projects that directly benefit
them. Without the support and extra
income which Fairtrade and our Fairtrade partners deliver, we wouldn’t be here
today and cocoa farmers would still have no say in their own futures,” she
stated.
Formation of the organization
Kuapa
Kokoo was formed in 1993 when the government of Ghana liberalized the cocoa industry. A group of farmers led by Nana Frimpong Abebrese, thinking of what
they could
do for themselves in the new
environment to derive maximum benefits from their toils, decided to form Kuapa Kokoo.
Kuapa
Kokoo belongs to the farmers themselves – it is an organization in which the farmers
take their own decisions and see to its implementation.
Today,
the co-operative is made up of 65,000 members from five cocoa
growing
regions in Ghana – Ashanti, Western, Eastern, Central
and the Brong-Ahafo.
To
become a member of Kuapa Kokoo, one has to apply
to an existing society, go through a training
programme and pay membership dues of GH¢2.00. Members are then part of a democratic
organization in which they elect and can
stand for positions at village,
district, and national
level.
As well as
meetings and communications at all levels throughout the
year, there are annual general meetings at district and nationals level at which issues are debated and voted on.
Kuapa Kokoo and Fairtrade
Kuapa
Kokoo joined
the Fairtrade
movement in 1995 as one of
the pioneering farmer-based organisations. Having realized that the Fairtrade
movement was the one great
idea to ensure poverty eradication and producer empowerment, Kuapa Kokoo together with
others set up the Divine
( formerly Day)
Chocolate
Company as the first
fair trade chocolate
brand in the UK in 1999.
Since
the formation of Divine
Chocolate in
the UK (and subsequently
in the USA),
Kuapa Kokoo and Divine
have promoted the fair
trade movement in Europe, and USA.
Consumers have come to understand that indeed trade can be done in a different
way.
Kuapa
Kokoo has earned Fairtrade
premium
for the past 17 years and through the premium
farmers lives
have been
touched and their communities have seen significant
improvements.
There
is a democratic
process in place
for the use of Fairtrade
premium. Information
is gathered right from the society level, through the district level to the national
level.
Each year, at the annual
general
meeting, the members discuss Fairtrade
premium
budgets and financial
reports, and agree on priorities.
How the Fairtrade
Premium
is invested – an example
from the last
year
In
the 2011/12 season, Kuapa Kokoo purchased 43,544 tonnes of cocoa – 25,275
tonnes of which was purchased by Fairtrade
customers.
In
this season the Fairtrade
premium
income was spent as cash bonuses per sack
in total of GH¢1.4million; machetes
for all
members at GH¢7 per machete; farmer agricultural training
total for 2011
COCOBOD-run services at GH¢295,000; Kuapa Kokoo Internal
Control System and Child
Labour Awareness Programme at GH¢1.38 million; medical clinics
(including
cataracts and hernias) at GH¢336,138 in 25 districts; and support for 50 women’s
groups in 22 districts at GH¢35,000.
Over
the years, Fairtrade premiums
have also been
used to fund projects in farming communities, such as building
of schools,
construction of boreholes,
extension teams, establishment
of credit
unions to give loans
to farmers, among others.
Kuapa
Kokoo itself is constantly improving the way knowledge, learning
and information
is disseminated across the whole membership, which is spread over many
hundreds
of square miles.
The
latest initiative is a pilot
series of radio programmes in Western Region – which are easily
accessible by members, and offer an ideal channel to reach, inform and have interaction
with
membership locally. Issues covered include membership of Kuapa
Kokoo, Fairtrade,
Farming Practices and Child
Labour. Further
programmes in other regions are planned
to increase the outreach.
Fairtrade goes beyond
the payment of premiums
Fairtrade
gives farmers empowerment in many ways – from being able to elect
and trust the person responsible
for weighing the cocoa and paying farmers, to having a say
in running their own organization, and, importantly,
in the encouragement
and support of women.
For
example,
women,
who constitute about a third of members, have fully
participated actively
in the decision making process of Kuapa Kokoo. In 2010
Kuapa Kokoo elected
the first
woman
president of the union.
Also through Divine
and Fairtrade,
farmers have had the opportunity to interact with
consumers in Europe and America. Each year farmers travel to UK and US to
talk about their
industry. They interact with school children and other
consumers of chocolate to tell them their stories, their farming activities and the
benefits of Fairtrade, and in turn are able
to share their knowledge with
their communities.
“Farmers
have gained confidence through such opportunities and have increased their
understanding of the world of cocoa and
chocolate,” said Mrs. Ohene-Agyare. “This
is what Fairtrade
does for farmers and we are proud of it.”
Story
by Kofi Adu Domfeh
