Cassava Farming is Becoming Profitable for My Family- Joy Odyek
Nancy Nandudu
My name is Joy Odyek, I am 43 years of age and I live in Akere village, Akere parish in Apac district, northern Uganda. I am married, with five children and my husband and I are both farmers. We have been farming for over twenty years on our 10 acres of land in the village, but we had never focused on cassava as a crop for sale because there was absolutely no market for it. We mostly grew cassava for food, and it was always helpful whenever there was a drought in the village because our home always had some food.
Unfortunately, our farming was always disturbed by either too much sun or rain and we never really harvested enough good quality crops for sale at the market. In short, the last twenty years was not easy, especially when we were raising our children. Until recently, I had almost given up on agriculture.
In January 2015 however I was introduced to a new opportunity, which came from the most unexpected area, cassava! I learned from a neighbour that a farmer from a neighbouring village, Mr. Sam Opio was looking for workers to peel cassava for him. I thought he planned to sell the cassava freshly peeled, so I never thought much about it when I signed up for the job.
When I started working at Adyaka farm, I was amazed! Firstly there was so much cassava to peel, and it wasn’t even being sold fresh; it was being processed into cassava chips. I joined a team of seven peelers, and together we peel up to 1000 kilos of cassava daily at the site. I earn about four thousand two hundred (UGX 4,200) shillings whenever I peel, which is very helpful for catering to my family’s daily needs. In the two months since I started working at Adyaka farm, I have seen the farm manager buying cassava roots from some community members and I too want to be able to earn money from the sale of cassava. My husband and I hope to be able to expand out acreage in order to grow more cassava and fulfil this dream, which we can see as a great opportunity.
One of my daughters, Akech Harriet has recently joined me in working at Adyaka farm. We have both agreed that this is a good opportunity for her to earn money and gain skills in business. I am training her to develop her produce marketing skills a little bit and I hope that she will find a way to prosper from this opportunity.
Joy and Harriet peeling cassava roots with colleagues
Indeed, I hope that all my children can come here some day and learn how to work smart. I want them to become wealthy, and although this is not so much money, I see it as a good start for them to learn and be mentored in ways of becoming prosperous. I am grateful to God for the opportunity that has been brought to me and my family.
Adyaka farm is a beneficiary of phase two of the Cassava Adding Value for Africa (CAVA II) project, being implemented by the Africa Innovations Institute in Uganda. The farm employs small holder farmers at all stages of processing cassava chips, which is currently its area of focus. Particularly, women from as far as the Apac trading centre (10kms from Adyaka farm) and surrounding villages of Ilera-Akere, Amin teng and Akere form the core group that peels and washes the cassava roots while youth are involved in the chipping, transportation, drying and packaging processes on site. The farm offers both its staff and surrounding communities the opportunity to sell fresh cassava roots (FCR) to the processing site at a price of one hundred (UGX 100) shillings.
In comparison to other casual labour employment opportunities in the surrounding community, which are occasional and earn local farmers a minimum wage of about one thousand five hundred (UGX 1500) shillings per session, the budding Adyaka farm business model is a breath of fresh air to farmers in dire need of daily opportunities to earn income and grow in business.
The farm, which was originally operated on an internal sourcing business model for cassava root supply is now shifting to an out-sourcing model. Though currently the farm is sourcing roots from a community with a limited supply of roots, AfrII is working with the farm management to establish a sustainable out-grower business model that ties together all stages of the process, from sourcing and production of ample quality declared planting material by participating farmers to development of beneficial financial linkages that would strengthen the value chain in favour of all value chain actors under the CAVA II project.
The project aims to increase the incomes of smallholder farmers (SHFs) and community processors through participation in profitable and sustainable value-added cassava chains in five sub-Saharan African Countries; Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, and Malawi.
The aim of CAVA II in Uganda is to create by 2019 an annual demand for 69,030 tons of fresh cassava roots from smallholder farmers. Incomes from sale of fresh roots and processing by smallholders will generate at least USD4.5 million/annum for rural communities.
Compiled by:
Nancy Nandudu
Information and Public Relations Officer
Africa Innovations Institute