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Agriculture Program
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What role do farmers' associations play?
Encouraging farmers to organize into groups is an important aspect of the program's work. Farmer groups have better bargaining power in negotiating seed and crop prices and are better able to market their crops. Farmer associations in Benin have 35,000 members and have started their own savings and loan programs. Their deposits exceed $1 million USD, and members are required to make regular deposits. Only members are allowed to take out a loan, and strong social and kinship bonds ensure that loans are repaid. In Ghana, farmers belonging to an association are able to get loans from the national agricultural development bank, and association members are responsible for repayment as a group.
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