The Co-op Program

On the June 2008 trip to Oyugis, John Willingham met with the District Agricultural Officer of the Nyanza district, Pam Kemu. The purpose was to determine all that was needed to officially begin a co-op recognized by the Government. Ms. Kemu was very helpful in providing very informative assistance. The first step was to hold a meeting of the Bakers Community Development Project (BCPD) farmers with Ms. Pamu. That meeting occurred in June while John was there. Ms. Kemu explained to the farmers what would be expected of them by the government. She also explained how the government would help the co-op in teaching proper record keeping and the proper way to report these records to the government. They would also teach computer classes to make this process much easier. The farmers then voted unanimously to begin the official co-op. The minutes of the meeting were turned in to the District Agricultural Office as required and the BCPD officially became a recognized co-op. The officers of BCPD and the District Agricultural Office are now working to complete the bylaws of the co-op.

The training meetings for the farmers are being set up so that the farmers will be ready once the next harvest is completed. Hearts for Kenya’s and the BCPD’s dream of beginning an official co-op has now become a reality.