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Small scale cotton growers in Gokwe South launch a commodity association
Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD)
September 01, 2009

Small scale cotton growers in Gokwe South launched a grassroots led Commodity Producers Association (CPA) on Thursday last week, with the assistance of Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD). The new association, named Gokwe South Small Scale Cotton Growers' Association (GSSCGA), is comprised of cotton farmers from six wards namely Jiri Ward one and two as well as Sai Ward one to four in the area covering Sengwa Bridge.

Speaking at the launch of the association, the newly elected Chairperson, Mr. Ishmael Gwekerere thanked ZIMCODD for launching a programme targeted at assisting small scale cotton farmers in the country. Farmers present also welcomed the initiative, and expressed optimism that the association would allow their voices to be heard on issues that would transform their livelihoods. Of major significance was the election of three women to serve on the association's committee showing the community's awareness and prioritization of gender equality and women's empowerment.

ZIMCODD has been assisting cotton farmers to organise themselves into producer associations under its Trade Justice Programme entitled 'Rural Livelihoods' since 2005. ZIMCODD is convinced that effective organisation of farmers is a mechanism for helping cotton farming communities to work towards improving their own livelihoods and defend their social and economic rights. They also aim to enhance the role of women and youths, who are also heavily involved in the cotton value chain.

Currently, the negotiation process in buying and selling of cotton takes place between two extremely unequal partners. On one hand cotton merchants have a sophisticated organisational network, being well endowed with resources (material, human and financial). They have superior access to information on the global cotton trade and maintain regular contacts with the international end-users. On the other hand, the growers are resource-poor, fragmented and scattered, have scant knowledge on cotton trade and absolutely no contact with end-users. Cotton merchants are therefore in a position to dictate terms of cotton trade to the growers.

Speaking at the same occasion, Chief Jiri said that it was important for community members to regard the formation of the association as their own initiative, and that ZIMCODD was only there to play a facilitator's role. He highlighted several problems they were facing; particularly the pricing for the 2009 season, which saw some farmers being paid as low as US$0.15 per kilo, while those from organised groups got US$0.40.

The global price was reported to be US$0.75 per kilo. Farmers were also concerned that some buyers were taking their assets and even cattle if they failed to meet their targets. Other problems related to farmers receiving expired chemicals from buyers who contracted them. Similar concerns have also been raised by farmers in other rural districts around the country.

ZIMCODD was represented at the launch by its Programme Officer, Mr. Richard Mambeva, who said that there must be a twoway- dialogue established between smallholder cotton farmers and other actors in the cotton value chain. This would prevent some stakeholders from speaking on their behalf because they are not formally organised. He also informed the meeting that the government had acknowledged the, "importance of farmers organizing themselves into self-reliant commodity-based farmer associations which foster interaction, provide for research, technical and marketing support for farmers as well as facilitate the development of own extension services," in the Short Term Economic Recovery Programme (STERP). ZIMCODD had since approached the Ministry of Agriculture to find out how the government would follow up the support for farming communities in spearheading CPAs as expressed in STERP.

In July, ZIMCODD launched a translated version of the W.K. Kellog Foundation's 'Field Manual for Developing Commodity Associations' to empower smallholder cotton growers. The manual, which was translated into Shona, is a practical guide for promoting effective organisation amongst smallholder farmers. Amongst the various roles played by a CPA, farmers could look forward to receiving assistance in accessing low-cost extension services through sharing costs, input purchasing, production, processing and marketing costs as well as lowering the delivery costs of various agencies supplying development services to small farmers.

The leadership of the new association said they look forward to engaging the government to ensure that a legal framework that protects the rights of small-scale farmers is enacted. They also want to explore the establishment of cotton-ginning plants in their locality as this would create employment for their youths. The farmers emphasized that the association would focus on lifting their lives out of poverty and exploitation instead of politics.

Research shows that there are an estimated 200 000 small scale farmers with average family size of 6-10 people who are dependent on cotton production for their basic subsistence. Small scale farmers account for over 90% of the cotton output.

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