Solidaridad West Africa Liberia (SWAL) is implementing a grant from the European Union (EU) and the Dutch Government to improve the cocoa sector of Liberia. The aim of the grant is to create a vibrant, competitive and profitable cocoa economy driven by farmers and farmer organizations and the private sector using a value chain approach. The project supports farmers’ rehabilitation and expansion of existing farms and creating farmers’ access to improved planting materials as well as other extension services including farmer field school model training.
The Delegation meeting project’s staff
VADEMCO serves as key implementing partner to Solidaridad West Africa Liberia program of Liberia Cocoa Sector Improvement Program (LICSIP) and Cocoa Value Chain Improvement Program (COVADEP) which are funded by European Union and Dutch Movement.
The Ambassador inspecting Cocoa Value Additions
On February 12, 2021 enroute to the National Agriculture Fair in Centre of Agriculture Research Institute (CARI), Suakoko, Bong County where the fair was held the European Ambassador /Head of Delegation Laurent Delahousse and other European Ambassadors such as France Ambassador Michael Roux decided to make a stopover at VADEMCO sub-office in Gbartala Bong County to have actual insight of the project impacts as funder of the project.
The Delegation under Solar Dryer While CEO explaining the function and its importanceThe Ambassador inspects the Fermentation Station
During the stopover, they toured VADEMCO facilities such as Fermentation Station, Solar Dryer, Agro-inputs showroom, Mini-Cocoa Lab and living room where the display materials are stored for the National Agriculture Fair. The delegations also met the community leaders, beneficiary farmers, VADEMCO Extension Technicians and some staff of SWAL. The European Ambassador & his delegation was very much impressed of the impact of the funded project.
On December 5, 2020, VADEMCO organized chocolate Tasting program which was held in Meleenta, Kpaai District Bong County. Over 250 cocoa farmers, their children and community leaders from the surrounding villages attended the occasion. The program was the result of success story writing and public by Bartalks on the wide website. The success story highlighted that 98% of smallholder cocoa farmers who produced cocoa as the product of chocolate have never tasting chocolate. This story touched the CEO of Microfertile, Mr. Romeo Duo in Collaboration with Nick Baskett of Bartalks provided several cartons of chocolate to VADEMCO to host this Chocolate tasting program. This was the first time in Liberia for such as great and colorful program.
In 2020 Bar talks and Liberian VADEMCO CEO Suliman V. Kamara built some rapport over a project VADEMCO was promoting. VADEMCO which is the implement partner to solidaridad helps farmers in the region and has plans to start adding value to cocoa beans various cocoa products in Liberia. Later in the year, Bartalks asked in one of its Newsletter editions if anyone wanted to support a project to put chocolate into the hands of farmers so that, for the first time, they would know, see and taste first hand, the product of their hard work.
A forward thinking and ingenious Mr. Romeo Dou, the founder of Microfertile in Cote d’Ivoire, a well-established company that produces a number of chocolate products for the region, immediately responded with his commitment to be involved.
True to his word, within a couple of weeks he had delivered a large quantity of chocolate bars and cocoa powder to Solidaridad offices in Abidjan to be delivered to VADEMCO in Liberia But it was challenging to deliver
However, Bartalks purchased just under 200 bars of chocolate from a local Liberian specialty chocolate company just in time before Christmas. VADEMCO pulled off a miraculous organization of multiple villages to come together in a tasting session, putting on food, education and talks, and of course the chocolate! Solidarid meanwhile, provided some the logistics-transportation while VADEMCO provided photography and filming – something we are extremely grateful for. A short video was made showing the event. VADEMCO was able to put this together in time for Christmas, which is of course, the time of year for giving and reflection.
VADEMCO-SWAL sponsored cocoa model Farmer Field School Facilitators organized and hosted Farmer Field Day in Polowu town, Kolahun District, Lofa County where over 75 farmers and community leaders attended. The occasion was highlighted by demonstration of agriculture best practices in sustainable cocoa production through playlets, drama, songs, and speeches. VADEMCO CCD Coordinator Mr. Luciny Fofanah served as guest speaker of the occasion.
One of VADEMCO’s long term goal is to be an exporter of high grade Liberian cocoa as value added to its cocoa intensification activities. VADEMCO initiated this activity in 2019 and intensified it in 2020. In March 2020, VADEMCO registered as the only Liberian Cocoa License Buying Company in Liberia. Special award was given to VADEMCO by LACRA for its initiatives. By the middle of 2020, 1.6 million Liberia Dollars (approximately US$10,000.00) was spent on cocoa beans purchase from old folk farms and cocoa producers in communities. The cocoa was processed using solar dryers and fermentation block and this resulted into production of high grade cocoa.
Solar Dryer
In this reporting period, VADEMCO constructed six (6) solar dryers to improve cocoa beans drying in Bong and Lofa Counties. Solar dryers are constructed in close proximities to old folk farms to enhance training of youth brigade members in proper cocoa beans processing for high grade. Maps of old folks farm rehabilitation activities are presented in latter pages of this report. Below is one of the solar dryers
In to 12 old farms in 2019, VADEMCO was able to rehabilitate 3 old folk farms in 2020 making a total of 15 rehabilitated old folks cocoa farms. Results of this initiative have been encouraging in terms of the enthusiasm of aged farmers and tremendous economic benefits that old folks have not experienced in past years. As in 2019, VADEMCO entered into MOUs with farm owners based on consensus regarding inputs and labor cost sharing and distribution of proceeds for the farmers to gain income and for VADEMCO to recover the farm rehabilitation cost and makes some profit.
VADEMCO rehabilitated old cocoa farms early this year (2020) own by Old folks in Bong and Lofa counties after the farms were unproductive for 10-15 years. The Old Folks’ lifted their first cocoa harvest for the market on October 2, 2020. VADEMCO links Old folks cocoa beans commodity to better local cocoa exporting market.
VADEMCO rehabilitated old cocoa farms early this year (2020) own by Old folks in Bong and Lofa counties after the farms were unproductive for 10-15 years. The Old Folks’ lifted their first cocoa harvest for the market on October 2, 2020. VADEMCO links Old folks cocoa beans commodity to better local cocoa exporting market.
VADEMCO serves as an aggregator of the Old folks’ commodity. As a result, VADEMCO obtained a legal status from the Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA); the government of Liberia regulatory body for exporting commodities. The license was given to mainly serve these Old folks who have been exploited over the years by illegal and non-trained cocoa buyers in the cocoa producing communities in Liberia.
A proud cocoa farmer with his solar dryer
VADEMCO provides other farm management services, and post-harvest services including harvesting, hauling harvested pods to the center fermentation station, breaking pods, fermenting, drying (Solar Dryer), and paying better farm-gate price to the Old folks. This program, which is co-financed by Solidaridad West Africa, Liberia, and funded by the European Union has brought not only smiles to the Old folks but help meet their basic needs such as food, medication and assist paying their grandchildren school fees, etc. It has brought dignity and respect to the Old folks in their communities.
Over the years, these Old folks cocoa farmers have been exploited by non-trained and illegal cocoa buyers in the cocoa producing communities in Liberia, and not only exploiting these farmers, but tarnishing the Liberian cocoa quality (no fermentation, not properly drying, etc) in the markets when the government of Liberia and its development partners have been striving to improve the cocoa sector to enhance the Liberia cocoa quality for the world markets. In order to achieve this national objective of producing Liberia’s quality cocoa, it is prudent that LACRA weeds out these non-trained and illegal cocoa buyers from the cocoa producing communities in Liberia.
Cocoa beans stacked in a warehouse
VADEMCO is willing to collaborate and partnership with LACRA to weed out these illegal and non-trained cocoa buyers and help provide training for them who wants to make cocoa buying as a business.
We STRIVE and VOW to improve Liberian cocoa quality and reputation for the world markets.
Cocoa farming is predominately carried out by smallholder farmers not only in Liberia but in most cocoa producing Countries.
In the case of Liberia, 80% of farmers that own larger and producing farms are owned by old aged farmers ranging from 50-75 years. These farmers don’t have the physical and financial ability to sustainably manage their farms and at the results most of their farms have been abandoned. These farmers go into the farms and scout for ripe cocoa pods and take to the community general markets to sell in order to survive for that day.
During VADEMCO farmers’ registration process in 2019, hundreds of old folks raised questions about the possibility of providing assistance to rehabilitate their abandoned cocoa farms. According to many of the old folks, they lack the energy to rehabilitate their farms after losing family members who previously helped them to the deadly Ebola disease.
VADEMCO helping rehabilitate an ‘old folk’ cocoa farm
heir children have either left them to go to urban cities to seek paying jobs or greener pastures, or elsewhere out of their reach. As a result, old folks harvest few pods & wet beans to sell at general local markets in economic turbulent times to solve domestic problems.
The old folk cocoa farmers concern is aligned with the Solidaridad project strategy aimed at engaging youth constructively and helping the elderly to rehabilitate their farms under Solidaridad West Africa-Liberia (SWAL) Cocoa Intensification and Rehabilitation Programme (CORIP) in Liberia.
It is in an effort to promote sustainable cocoa production, productivity, profitability and competitiveness primary by youth and private sector supply actors like VADEMCO in the cocoa sector of Liberia through Centre for Cocoa Development (CCD).
In February 2020, VADEMCO embarked on the rehabilitation of the old folk farms in Bong and Lofa Counties in Liberia and it was overwhelmed with requests. VADEMCO sees a need to assist these aged community people to increase the production and productivity of their farms to reduce their dependency on already overburdened rural household as a means of improving rural life.
The activity is also designed to constructively engage community youth by organizing them into volunteer Cocoa Development Brigades (CODEB) whose members are youths with the responsibility of providing labour under the farm Management services (FMS/FAMAS) for the old folks farms.
Rehabilitated ‘old folk’ farm
Currently, resource levels available to VADEMCO as business entity are insignificant in relationship to the needs in the project community.
In 2020 cocoa season, VADEMCO targeted 50 old folk farmers to be rehabilitated and to provide full farm management services to these farms but due to limited resources, only 16 farms were fully rehabilitated.
We are providing other farm management services including harvesting, processing and marketing of the cocoa beans from their farm. Additionally, we have organized, trained and provided Basic AG-input/tools to 10 Cocoa Development Youth Brigades to carry out the farm management services of the old folk farms in their community.
The Brigades are paid by VADEMCO to provide the farm management services and in return the old folk pay back during their cocoa harvest, for the labour costs only.
VADEMCO also advance cash with zero-interest loans to farmers who have more than 3 acres (1.1 ha) to help assist their household for food during dome period (hunger time — less available food in the rural communities in Liberia- July –August).
This has brought joy and smiles to both old folks and youth in the rural communities where the current VADEMCO activities are ongoing.
In order to motivate both the old folks and the brigades during COVID-19 pandemic, VADEMCO provided stimulus package including hygienic/sanitary materials and food stuff to help enhance their cocoa farming activities.
At the onset of this cocoa season, VADEMCO gave one of the old folk farmers Mr. Moses Barclay, whose 9 acre farm was rehabilitated L$50,000 (US$254) as a stimulus soft loan (zero interest) to assist his family.
He cried saying
Why are you doing so much for me and my family? Over 20 years we have not realized even L$10,000 per cocoa season. I wonder you will get your money back?
Farmer recieves interest free loan
With tears running down his chin. He concluded by saying VADEMCO where have you been and farmers need such organizations to help develop our fragile cocoa sector.
Do you want to increase the yield and quality of your cocoa?
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In Liberia, you can apply this fertilizer between May & July- 125kg/ha
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