By Ishmael Sallieu Koroma
Welthungerhilfe Sierra Leone (WHH) through its Agribusiness Development from Organic Resources (ADORE) Project funded by the European Union (EU) has conducted a performance monitoring tools development workshop in Kenema for cocoa, coffee and cashew farmers in the Eastern Region.
Speaking during the workshop, Isata Habib Kargbo, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Manager at Welthungerhilfe Sierra Leone, said that the workshop is specifically aimed at the validation of the monitoring tool in order to capture the cocoa, cashew and coffee thus the reason they invited different target audience ranging from the players in the cocoa production, the traders, farmers, the Ministry of Agriculture etc.
“From the assessment that we have done, we understand that there is gap when it comes to getting data on the number of farmers that are into cocoa harvesting and production and then also its difficult for us to know the quantum of cocoa that they the farmers are producing and what is going out. There are farmers that are into exporting,’’she stated.
She added that the tool will help the cocoa farmers allow anyone using the tool to know the number of farmers that are involved into cocoa, or cashew production in the country hence they are making the tool accessible so that anyone anywhere will be able to get the data they needed about farmers into cocoa chain.
She noted after the validation they will have to sit with the Ministry of Agriculture in order to see how they will be able to input all what have been said in the workshop, adding that it is a process to get everything done accordingly.
On his part Andrew Amadu Sankoh, senior statistician at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, as well the focal person for the development of the cocoa, coffee, cashew monitoring tool, said that WHH is supporting the Ministry of Agriculture to develop a monitoring tool that the farmers will use, as well as the buyers, consumers in order to know about the cocoa, coffee and cashew in the country.
“We are in Kenema to develop the monitoring tool, in order to develop the monitoring tool; we made sure that we invited all key stakeholders that have to utilize the tool. And also we invited the traders, as well the processors, the produce monitoring board, the Ministry of Agriculture also in order for us to be part of the development of the monitoring tool,’’he said.
He noted after they have developed the monitoring tool with key indicators, it will speak to the data needs, stating that the next step is to insert those data into the amis platform and market information system which will enable anyone around the world with a just a click of a button in order to access all the data needed about cocoa and cashew farmers in Sierra Leone.
“This is not only for WHH, but for any project or NGO that is working on cocoa, cashew will also be able to use the monitoring platform,” Sankoh added.
Sankoh went on state that through the monitoring tool; farmers will be able to know the price of cocoa, the price of coffee, as well the cashew both at the international market and at the African market respectively.
“This will also help the farmer if he has to produce more or not. This will encourage the farmer go into large scale production. As we speak the price of cocoa has triple compared to last year but if the farmer in the villages do not know about this , the buyers and the middle men will give price to the farmer that will not benefit them,” the senior statistician lamented.
The senior statistician added that the tool will also be useful to the buyers who want to buy the cocoa, coffee and cashew from the farmers to sell, a buyer outside the country through this platform will be able to know the region or the district that has the highest number of cocoa farmers, the quantity of cocoa that they are producing in that particular region, or village stating that the data they are collecting captures that as well.
“The data will be disaggregated by section, by region and by village or locality level. We are also doing it by individual farmers in order for us to know that this particular community these are the numbers there in,” the focal lead for the development of the tool stated, adding that this will also help policy makers to know the amount of farmers that are into cocoa and cashew business in the country.
The focal person for the monitoring tool further stressed that accurate and timely data brings effective policy formulation there by enabling effective delivery services which farmers will benefit greatly.
Mariama Kalokoh, one of the farmers, praised WHH and its partners for organizing the monitoring tool validation workshop for them in order to track their data as a welcoming idea.
“This is a big bravo for us the farmers because it is for us they are bringing this tool. This is important for us cocoa, coffee and cashew farmers,’’she said.
