FARMER FOOD BANKS

In order to improve the income of small African farmers, IPHD initiated a Food Banks Program in the Republic of Guinea, Central African Republic, and the Republic of Congo. 

Farmers in an area of several villages are organized into groups or cooperatives to market their crops to an IPHD-sponsored food bank.  The management of the food bank, initially operated by Caritas and later by the farmers, sells the produce between harvests when the price is highest.  Farmers earn 20-50 percent more through food banks than if they sell their harvest to middle-men.  Most farmers in a Food Bank program also receive training, loans, seeds and tools for improving their cultivation.

During the so-called “hungry time” of the year, food banks also sell back to farm families produce at cost. 

In Guinea, IPHD has developed eight food banks, and some 15,000 farmers are members of these banks.  In addition, IPHD developed 63 satellite or village food banks with 20,000 other farmers.  In total, 35,000 or more farmers participate in Guinea food banks, of which 46 percent are women.  They market mainly rice and corn, but also manioc, millet, palm oil, coffee and peanuts. Other neighboring areas have asked IPHD to set up additional food banks. 

In the Congo Republic, there are fourdemonstration food banks with 2,031 farmers.  They market corn, peanuts, beans and manioc.  In the Central African Republic, there is a food bank in Mbaiki for 504 farmers, and three others will be located in Bambari, Kago Bandoro, and Bouar.  The three banks have 493 farmers.  M'Baiki is temporarily closed because of administration problems and influx of refugees in that area.  If funds become available, IPHD and Caritas will reorganize it.  CAR food banks mainly market rice, corn, and peanuts..  IPHD has plans, if funds are available, to expand this concept to Guinea-Bissau, Niger, and Sierra Leone.

Food banks provide farmers with more cash to buy other foods, medicines, clothing tools, housing materials, and other needs.  Farmers become part of a more dynamic and regional economy for the first time.  And for the first time they begin to manage their own resources from cultivation through marketing.