I have previously addressed the importance of involving youth in agricultural cooperatives. That has advantages for a cooperative’s performance and continuity.
Besides, it accords hands-on training of the next generation of cooperators and gives them an opportunity to bring into the cooperative novel ideas to spur its economic growth.
What can we learn from cooperatives that have brought more youth into cooperatives? I will give an example from a cooperative I recently visited.
The Mumberes Farmers Cooperative Society (MFCS) in Eldama Ravine, Baringo County, has a relatively young board. According to its members, the average age of the board is 38, ranging from 28-63.
It has not always been that way. The 2011 annual general meeting, triggered by a desire to streamline the books of account that had become a challenge for the ageing MFCS board, created the MFCS Youth Council with an independent advisory role.
Increase milk yield
Further, the society activated enabling policy frameworks — such as the one on gender, human resources, elections, milk quality, management and finance and procurement — developed through public participation and after approval by the AGM.
The policies address, among others, matters such as the composition — gender, age and disability issues — of the board, farmer training and staff recruitment.
The policy allows women, with consent from their spouses, a portion of shares each registered member owns. The youth, with concurrence of parents, are taken through a three-day training session by the society before they start working on the family farm.
There, they are encouraged to work and are entitled to a portion of the milk produced over and above what the family previously produced, which is credited into their own accounts. That encourages the youth to produce more. It has motivated them to adopt modern techniques to ensure adequate quality feed for the animals throughout the year in a bid to increase the milk yield.
Best practices
With these changes, the cooperative has experienced positive outcomes. First, the milk yield per dairy animal has increased, meaning higher income for the farmers and youth. Additionally, the milk supply chain has become more efficient owing to adoption of new technologies.
Secondly, the board has established a farmer demonstration centre. It trains on best practices in animal husbandry and has a tree nursery to supply farmers with seedlings. Daniel Mutai says this provides women on-farm wood fuel instead of them buying or walking long distances to fetch firewood.
Thirdly, value addition, like processing of mursik (fermented milk), which has anti-oxidant properties, and yoghurt is now done at the society. Fourth, the society has adopted cost-saving green energy solutions using solar power and biogas from the demonstration farm and built a 108,000-litre cost-efficient water harvesting system.
Lastly, unlike in previous years, when attaining a quorum for the AGMs was a challenge, lack of numbers is in the past. Can we take a leaf from MFCS?
Prof Nyamongo,an anthropologist and Fulbright scholar, is a deputy vice-chancellor at The Cooperative University of Kenya. [email protected]. @Prof_IKNyamongo
