Rehabilitation Village Farms Coop REVFAM
Type of Organization: Farmers' organization
Areas of work: Small family farmers
Region: Africa
Country: Nigeria
Description:
Rehabilitation Village Farms Multipurpose Cooperative Society is a 30 member democratically run social enterprise established to bring smallholder farmers in Nigeria, especially Akwa Ibom State, an agrarian environment with major agricultural endeavours being cassava, maize, vegetables, cocoa and oil palm product, vegetables, cocoa and oil palm production together to find solutions to rural poverty in the state. Currently, members, tend to remain in the subsistence farming sector and hardly move up the ladder to managing self-sustaining and growing agro-allied enterprises. These has often been constrained by difficult terrain and remoteness from major commercial and research centres but much more so by lack of necessary good agronomic practices and necessary entrepreneurship skills to perceive situations correctly, organise resources and setup successfully managed rural based agro-allied businesses in the area with the most vulnerable being women. Women in the state have the potential to achieve a critical role in supporting their households to achieve food security, generate income and sustain rural livelihoods but are limited by limited skills, access to services and resources, levels of organisation and discriminatory attitudes. REVFAM exists to contribute to agricultural production, rural enterprise and local and national economies through improving skills, production techniques, improved collective organisation and negotiation skills and access to markets. Our projects will empower rural men and women farmers to increase their voice, choice and control within the oil palm value chain. It works to promote the development of entrepreneurship and creativity through working with these farmers to improve organisation, access to financial services and the implementation of policies that promote sustainable oil palm production which is the dominant farming activity of the area. Improved production techniques will focus on resource efficiency and long term environmental benefits, including improvement of soils and efficiency of the oil palm value chain leading to less wastage and more efficient consumption patterns and contribute to reducing discrimination towards women in commercial agriculture.
Rehabilitation Village Farms Multipurpose Cooperative Society is a 30 member democratically run social enterprise established to bring smallholder farmers in Nigeria, especially Akwa Ibom State, an agrarian environment with major agricultural endeavours being cassava, maize, vegetables, cocoa and oil palm product, vegetables, cocoa and oil palm production together to find solutions to rural poverty in the state. Currently, members, tend to remain in the subsistence farming sector and hardly move up the ladder to managing self-sustaining and growing agro-allied enterprises. These has often been constrained by difficult terrain and remoteness from major commercial and research centres but much more so by lack of necessary good agronomic practices and necessary entrepreneurship skills to perceive situations correctly, organise resources and setup successfully managed rural based agro-allied businesses in the area with the most vulnerable being women. Women in the state have the potential to achieve a critical role in supporting their households to achieve food security, generate income and sustain rural livelihoods but are limited by limited skills, access to services and resources, levels of organisation and discriminatory attitudes. REVFAM exists to contribute to agricultural production, rural enterprise and local and national economies through improving skills, production techniques, improved collective organisation and negotiation skills and access to markets. Our projects will empower rural men and women farmers to increase their voice, choice and control within the oil palm value chain. It works to promote the development of entrepreneurship and creativity through working with these farmers to improve organisation, access to financial services and the implementation of policies that promote sustainable oil palm production which is the dominant farming activity of the area. Improved production techniques will focus on resource efficiency and long term environmental benefits, including improvement of soils and efficiency of the oil palm value chain leading to less wastage and more efficient consumption patterns and contribute to reducing discrimination towards women in commercial agriculture.