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By LAEJN Editorial Team
Wallena, Nimba -What began as a small farmers’ group struggling with post-harvest losses and low income has grown into a rapidly expanding agricultural cooperative through targeted support from the Ministry of Agriculture under the Rural Economic Transformation Project RETRAP, an initiative funded by the World Bank.
The Say No to Hunger Farmers’ Multipurpose Cooperative Society, based in Wallena Town in Nimba County, was established in 2016 with 15 members, eight men and seven women, cultivating just five acres of land. Limited financing, lack of storage facilities, and poor market access constrained growth for this farmers’ cooperative during its early stage of operation.
“Before the intervention from the Ministry of Agriculture, we were producing but losing a lot after harvest,” said Ezekiel Sayetee, Executive Director of the cooperative. “We were compelled to sell our vegetables at any price because there was no place to store them.”
According to Mr. Sayetee, the cooperative’s total harvest before the World Bank and Ministry of Agriculture technical and financial support stood very low, and they occasionally generated between US$700 to US$900 in revenue. Cash reserves were minimal to take care of reinvestment in the vegetable cooperative farm.
In 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture, through RETRAP and STAR-P, began supporting the cooperative, focusing on production, aggregation, and post-harvest management. A key intervention was the construction of a cold storage facility by RETRAP, accompanied by a refrigerated truck to maintain temperature from storage to market.
The modern cold storage facility constructed under the RETRAP initiative is designed to preserve the freshness and quality of farmers’ produce, enabling better market pricing. The facility is equipped with an automated power system powered primarily by solar energy, with a 25KVA generator as backup, ensuring uninterrupted operations and preventing any break in the cold chain.
“You cannot take produce from a cold room and carry it in an open truck,” Sayetee said. “RETRAP also provided our group with a refrigerated vehicle to ensure the same temperature is maintained, and that has significantly reduced post-harvest losses among farmers part of Say No to Hunger Cooperative.”
As a result of these targeted interventions, the cooperative seems to be experiencing steady growth in production, income, membership, and assets. By 2023, membership of the cooperative, which started with just 15 members increased to 217 farmers, including 135 women and 82 men, with about 90 percent youth participation. Cultivated land expanded substantially, and revenue rose to approximately US$25,000 in the first year of support from an initial revenue base of US$900.
According to Mr. Sayetee, currently, the cooperative operates on a total of 82 acres of cultivated land, spread across eight beneficiary communities, reflecting its expanding reach and influence in the region. Through improved farming practices, coordinated production, and strengthened market linkages, the group recorded 118 metric tons of assorted vegetables during the most recent farming season.
This level of production translated into over US$90,000 in revenue, significantly improving household incomes for member farmers and strengthening the cooperative’s financial sustainability. Mr. Sayetee noted that the increased earnings have enabled farmers to reinvest in their farms, support their families, and contribute more meaningfully to local food security. The achievement, he emphasized, demonstrates how collective action and access to modern agricultural inputs can transform smallholder farming into a viable and profitable enterprise.
“Because farmers now have access to storage, they are no longer forced to sell immediately,” Sayetee said. “They can keep their produce, search for buyers, and sell when the market is better.”
Beyond increased production, Say No to Hunger has expanded its role in the community by providing farmer training, extension services, farm inputs, aggregation, and market linkage. The cooperative has also established a community savings and loan scheme for members without access to formal banking.
“Our first loan disbursement was about LD$300,000,” Sayetee said. “In 2025, we disbursed over LD$1.3 million, and this year we expect to exceed LD$4 million across our members.”
According to the group executive director, the cooperative plans to expand membership from about 750 to 2,500 farmers within the next three to four years, extend operations to Bong and Grand Gedeh counties, and invest in vegetable processing and export markets.
“We are not just thinking about producing and selling raw,” Sayetee emphasized. “We want to add value and, with the support of the Ministry and partners, access international markets.”
The Ministry of Agriculture has also begun linking the cooperative to supermarkets in Monrovia, while negotiations are underway to formalize supply agreements with major buyers.
From a small group facing severe post-harvest losses to a growing, multi-community cooperative, Say No to Hunger is increasingly being cited as an example of how targeted public-sector investment can improve farmer incomes, reduce losses, and strengthen local food systems.
