In the richer countries of the world, food gets wasted on the plate. In the poorer countries, the problem is a different one. Here, food is wasted in production, harvesting, processing and storage.
At the same time, 821 million people are suffering from hunger. Making production more effective, decreasing post-harvest loss and linking farmers to markets are all crucial elements in reducing food waste. This is why WFP has launched the Farm to Market Alliance (FtMA).
The aim is to increase productivity, profits and resilience among small-scale farmers, with assistance from WFP and other member organizations. By transforming small-scale farmers into reliable market players, they hopefully will be able to produce more and to sell better — thereby increasing their income.
Farming is an important source of income in Rwanda — around 70 percent of the population works in the agricultural sector. But Rwanda is also one of Africa’s most densely populated countries and land is scarce, making it important to increase production levels.
The COMANYA Nyanza cooperative in southern Rwanda is one of the partners of the FtMA. Tons of corn are produced here, and the partnership has resulted in an increase in both production, sales and income for the members of the cooperative. The cooperative involves over 2,000 small-scale farmers at ten different sites.
‘’The FtMA has linked us to the markets and given us training on good agricultural practices. They have also helped us with the issue of post-harvest loss,’’ explains Uwimana Leonille, the vice president of the cooperative.
Post-harvest loss is a major problem for food production in Rwanda, but the solutions are surprisingly simple. One of WFP’s solutions is to sell storage silos to cooperatives at a reduced price.
“Before, our post-harvest loss was about 30 percent. After the training that we have received from WFP, we are now down to around 10 percent’’, says Uwimana proudly.
The partnership involves more than good agricultural practices. The FtMA also links farmers to the markets, helping them with both establishing the contact and setting the right prices. The relationship and trust between the buyers and the farmers is built up over time. Trust can lead to increased investments and a more sustainable production and sale.
One investment from the buyers — to make post-harvest processing more efficient for this cooperative — has been to lend their machines to shell corn. Previously the grain was manually shelled and the long processing time often led to a deterioration of quality. Now this process can be done in a fraction of the time.
The FtMA is one of the ways in which WFP is helping people become resilient and self-reliant. The results are not only an increase in production, profits and good agricultural practices. More importantly, it is a way out of poverty.
The reaction of farmers is testimony to the impact of the initiative.
Yvette Musabyimana, a mother of three, says her harvest is bigger now and her profits have increased:
“I have left poverty thanks to the partnership with the World Food Programme.”
Clementine Uwamahoro also has three children. She has bought animals to increase the production even more through fertilizing the land. The big change for her is the step towards self-sufficiency.
“I am now able to pay the tuition fees for my children and I can afford to give them food,’’ she explains.
