Okyerefo Consult produces and aggregates maize, watermelon, cabbages, peppers, carrots and onions. The firm works in the Sene East and Sene West districts of the Bono East Region with 1,812 smallholder farmers, of which 40% are women. On average, each smallholder farmer cultivates 2 acres of land. Okyerefo Consult was awarded District Best Vegetable Farmer in 2018. The company supplies Humbig Farms, Jegs Company and Adu Kofi Enterprise with maize and vegetables. The company also supports the training and distribution of inputs and services to its smallholder farmers and partners with other local businesses to reach out to more smallholder farmers. The partnership with MADE started in 2019 and since then Okyerefo Consult has aggregated 4,500 MT of maize, 50,000 watermelons and 200,000 cabbages.
MADE interventions
- Recruited, trained and deployed nine Farm Enterprise Advisors (FEAs) and one FEA manager, who assist in aggregation, input distribution and educating farmers on good agricultural practices.
- Facilitated links with tractor services.
- Provided demonstrations and training on tractor services.
- Facilitated relationships with other MADE partners (Allah Is Able and Segrace Enterprise) for complementary supply of inputs and services.
- Strengthened commercial partnerships between Okyerefo Consult and Qualiseed Company Limited for complementary supply of improved seed.
Impacts
- Established business relationships with other firms for the provision of agricultural inputs and services.
- Enhanced management of farmers and business data.
- Increased smallholder outreach from 700 in 2017 to 1,812 in 2019.
- Increased access to inputs, credit and markets.
- Improved knowledge and understanding of good agricultural practices and proper and timely application of agro-inputs.
- Improved financial forecasting and planning for smallholders.
- Increased yields of maize from 6 to 15 bags (100 kg) per acre through the use of improved seed and good agricultural practice.
