Meet Aminata

Aminata is a leader in her community of Tomaju village, in the Malegohun Chiefdom in Eastern Sierra Leone. As a local chief, and a member of Munafa cocoa cooperative, she represents local women and advocates for their access to land for cocoa farming. 

Like many women cocoa farmers in Sierra Leone, Aminata has persevered through some structural barriers that can make it difficult for women to purchase land. Her first personal plot was given to her by her father. 

Strong roots

Aminata’s interest in cocoa farming started at an early age, watching her father manage large, successful plantations. Now, at age 63, Aminata has observed multiple shifts in cocoa farming. As a result of forest loss, due to human activity like farming, logging, and mining, high temperature and drought have become more common in the dry season, as well as flooding in the rainy season. Farming techniques have also changed to adapt to new environmental pressures and scientific developments.

Environmental sustainability is a key priority for Aminata, and the ability to earn money in a sustainable way was one of the features that first attracted her to cocoa farming. She has prioritized responsible environmental stewardship by utilizing organic best practices on her farm, reducing waste by composting cocoa husks to use as fertilizer for future crops, and even repurposing some of the byproduct leftover after cocoa beans are processed to make soap.

In the past, cocoa seeds were simply scattered across the farm, but now Aminata cultivates new cocoa trees first as saplings, and then plants them with specific organization and spacing to encourage healthy growth. This means that newer farms are made up of fewer trees overall, but the ones they do have are more productive. Munafa cooperative has helped its farmers by centrally growing and distributing these cocoa saplings. 

Fairtrade’s impact

Aminata says the prices farmers like her earn for their cocoa crops have vastly improved compared to what her parents received, and this could be partly attributed to Fairtrade’s impact in the region. 

Like all Fairtrade cooperatives, Munafa earns additional funds on top of the sales price for its members’ cocoa. This extra money is called the Fairtrade Premium. Representative members from the cooperative form a Premium Use Committee which meets regularly to democratically decide how these funds should be spent to benefit farmer members and their community as a whole. 

Munafa members have elected to use much of the Premium they earn on trainings and materials that can increase the amount of cocoa they grow and improve its quality. For example, the cooperative constructed a new cocoa drying facility, and financially supports members to hire labor for under brushing, a process of clearing space around cocoa plants to increase yields and reduce the likelihood of pest infestation. 

Beyond cocoa production, Fairtrade Premium funds have been used to support farmers like Aminata in growing additional crops for personal consumption and supplemental income through sale in local markets. In Aminata’s community, it is common to grow coffee, oil palm, rice, and vegetables in addition to cocoa. Premiums have also been used to build or update community members’ homes, a school for children in the area, and a drinking water facility. 

Aminata is proud of the quality cocoa she and her colleagues produce, as well as the  leadership role she has taken on in her community. 

In her own words, "Through cocoa farming and working with Fairtrade, I have constructed a house and educated my children. Also, most importantly I’m empowered to speak up and participate in the cooperative decision-making process".