Balandiza Kimeze Bukulula Farmers’ Cooperative Society Limited (BBFCS) has been in existence since the year 2020.
BBFCS is a cooperative society located in Uganda, currently composed of 32 employees and 553 members. A member must be a coffee farmer (owning, on average, three-quarters of an acre of land), resident in the Kalungu district, willing to cooperate with other members of the society, and paying both subscription and membership fees. Members are involved in community meetings through committees which are elected at the general assembly. They contribute financially via membership fees and shares. The board of directors is elected at the general assembly, which occurs once a year, with a participation rate of 70% or more. Elections are held every five years. The term is rotational and renewable for two terms.Balandiza Kimeze Bukulula Farmers’ Cooperative Society Limited (BBFCS) has been in existence since the year 2020.
BBFCS provides training to its members. They offer both on-the-farm and off-the-farm training for the farmers, delivered by extensionists/field officers and sometimes consultants, especially for certifications like Fair-trade, Organic, and 4C. BBFCS also offers off-the-farm training on post-harvest handling to ensure quality. Farmers are also trained in diversification to enable them to practice other income-generating activities apart from coffee farming. They provide them with improved coffee varieties that are resistant to pests, diseases, and drought, train them on record-keeping, and foster a savings culture to encourage saving and borrowing for investment. Additionally, they train their farmers on energy-saving cooking stoves.
The cooperative is gender-inclusive, with 30% of its staff being women. They hope to continue this trend and in the future expect to start selling specialty coffee for youth and women, as the market for this type of coffee is available. Initially, women would be left to look after the coffee plantations, and when it came to sharing returns, they would be excluded. BBFCS therefore decided to encourage women to do intercropping and diversification, encouraging them to look after the coffee gardens while also earning some income from intercropped items like bananas, and to rear some animals and poultry. They have also mobilized and encouraged women to join the cooperative so that they can individually benefit from the organization’s programs and profits.
TDC funding
The Trade for Development Centre (TDC) aims to improve the situation of the target groups by certifying 500 members under 4C and Fairtrade certificate. This will ensure stable prices and consistency in quality and quantity from the gardens up to post harvesting handling.
The cooperative will register its farmers for credits. The demand for high quality offset outstrips supply. The farmers will be provided with tree seedlings which attracts carbon credits. This will be an additional source of income for the farmers.
They will give tissue culture banana suckers and beans to 550 farmers to ensure food security. The co-existence of beans, banana and coffee is recommended by agronomical practices.
The final action consists of giving 500 farmers (mainly women) 20 kilograms of hybrid beans, for them to sell the surplus.
Progress: From 1st November 2024 to 28th February 2025
Balandiza Kimeze Bukulula Farmers’ Cooperative Society Limited implemented several activities under the TDC funds.
- A Project Council of farmer leaders, management staffs and Board of Directors was established to ensure inclusive governance. The 500 farmers were organized into groups of 40/50 farmners, which improved coordination and communication.
- The project has, so far, achieved strong results, including the procuring of banana suckers to boost food security and membership. The hiring of consultants to support Fairtrade certification of 500 farmers and the profiling of all farmers in preparation for the certification.
- At the factory, the coordinator has promoted fairness in coffee quality testing. Funding for fuel and staff visits has increased the cooperative’s visibility and attracted more members. Farmers’ meetings have encouraged information sharing, group cohesion, and especially savings among women. Most groups now consist of women and youth, showing their growing interest in cooperative activities.
- Monitoring and evaluation continue actively, with board members also involved. There is high enthusiasm around achieving Fairtrade certification and the future promise of carbon opportunities.
