Help organize the beneficiaries into a farmers' co-operative
Status: 
Step:
1
Now that the project has begun; the most substantial risk to its’ goal and purpose is that the capacity at community level is insufficient to adequately manage the project tasks.
This risk will be addressed through substantial investment of project resources in capacity building and strengthening and volunteer training, as well as training the beneficiaries in group dynamics.
We hope to encourage and facilitate the beneficiaries of the project to form groups and constitute themselves into a Community Association and farmers’ co-operative to manage and sustain the activities initiated under the project and take advantage of the economies of scale in purchase of farm inputs; processing, transportation and marketing of agricultural produce; increase their market share and facilitate better access to credit and other financial services.
The co-operative will make important contributions to providing incomes to beneficiaries as a poverty alleviation strategy and provide for an important opportunity for the beneficiaries to gainfully participate in community and national development.
If you have any experience in co-operatives/ community organisations your advice is greatly appreciated.
I have attached the Scottish farm co-ops' management guidebook (givne to me by William). It has everything we need to know about setting up and running a co-op in a relatively understandable format for such things and is easy to refer to; it was written for the farmer members of boards and management committees as there is a big difference between running a farm and helping to run a co-op, whatever country you are in.
Both Paddy and I are in the middle of the reading it and here it is for you to read and to feedback to the village.
Attached files:
Dear All
The following links may be of help-
1)
For Africa-E-mail: fao-raf@fao.org
For Asia & Pacific- Email: FAO-RAP@fao.org
Latin America & the Caribbean-Email: rlc-webmaster@fao.org
http://www.fao.org/
2)
E-mail: agriterra@agriterra.org
http://www.agriterra.org
3)
Contact Details; http://www.ifad.org/contacts.htm
http://www.ifad.org/
4)
Email:- echo@echonet.org
http://www.echonet.org/
Best regards,
Sushmita,
India
The most successful cooperative in the world began in 1956 in Spain. http://www.mcc.es/
There are many farm coops in the USA.
Hi Paddy
You wrote: "We need more training on management and establishment of the co-operative group."
From reading the previous posts under this task, it appears that a cooperative is already running, having been set up a year ago, and that they are a member of NOGAMU. And you have contacted Cooperative Africa - is that related to Uganda Cooperative Alliance, suggested by Jenny?
Please can you tell us the current situation, and what additional assistance you need from neighbours.
Mary
Hi Neighbours,
Thanks so much for your continued support to Nabitende village, we are happy. We appreciate Nabuur so much for making us known to the world, it is great. Thanks very much for Sinead who was there for us bringing to us important people like Rick, he got us the first vegetable seeds which have changed the families (25), got us fruit tree (improved) seedlings and we expect some fruits by next year if all goes well. We got Michael who bought Sarah a wheel chair and built for her a house. We we able to join NOGAMU except that our registration has expired. We got Ken who sent us DVDs for organic farming and other herbal treatments.
We are still going on with vegetable growing, fruit and tree planting. I got 200 seedlings of eucalyptus from the district woman member of parliament and 1 acre of upland rice.
We have not joined the Uganda Cooperative Alliance but we are thinking of doing it except that I get too busy with my church work too. We meet once in a month with the group on training for the cooperative and we started to save some money and begin a small loan scheme within the group, thank you, Paddy.
Hi Paddy,
It should be better to first concentrate on the vegetable growing and tree planting before you begin forming a coorperative.
It is good news that you received eucalyptus seeds. Please mobilise the local community to start the establishment of a community nursery as soon. Get more information about the growing of the upland rice and start a model farm as well.
Best wishes,
Denis Marsha
Hi every one, long time i have been off line because if my studies and work ocupying me fully. thank you for all the advice to naditende. I have worked with Uganda Cooperative Alliance ltd about 6 years ago and i agree with all the ideas you have given, if nabitende can contact me on phone 0772985474 then i can direct them to meet my friend called DHivuge Thomas in Luwuka Iganga distric who can sit down with group leaders and teach them or else i need Nabitende contact postal address then i can post them some literature on cooperatives. alternatively they can visit JIDECO office and ask my former classmet Ms Monica whom we traine with in the UCA with the support of Canadian Cooperative Association.
In all my workshops, people are interested in new crops. That is, new to them but not in other places.
Here are some that people will love: spaghetti squash, baby maize/corn, sweet maize/corn, endamame soybeans-these are for humans; not animals or oil. 40% protein. Sweet sorghum, popping maize, popping sorghum [India]. It is my opinion that these are available somewhere in India.
Hi Ken,
Thanks very much for the care. Them crops would sell but I don't know how to get the seeds. We would love to try on them and since we have Indians, then the market would be available. I therefore request that may somebody help and get Nabitende the seeds of these crops, Paddy.
Hi Joseph,
Thanks very much for your advices, I appreciate them all. JIDECO works in Iganga and it may be hard to get help from them if we are not their members. Otherwise our postal address is P.O.Box 71 Iganga, Uganda. Paddy.
There are seed companies in your country. Go to their websites to order them. Not just Indians eat theme; people all over the world eat them.
Use SRI to grow rice. http://sri.ciifad.cornell.edu/index.html
Its ok Paddy,
i am out of office for 10 days sterting 14/August 2011 but as soon as i come back from my agriculture research training at the Uganda national crop science labalatory makerere, i will post the documents to you.
Jingo