Needed equipment: Enabling COMACO to operate effectively, cover a growing area of influence and sustain markets for people to adopt better land practices
Some key examples of COMACO's needs are as follows:
COMACO operates across remote, rough terrains and requires year-round mobility by its extension workers to assess crop performance and compliance to farming and land use practices. The common mode of transport for extension staff is motorbike. COMACO faces a chronic shortage of motorbikes for its expanding field support program to service the needs of over 2500 producer groups or over 30,000 group members.
Only about half of COMACO's trading depots have radio communication with their regional trading centres and this creates delays and costly inefficiencies in mobilizing producer commodities. One set consists of radio, solar panel, and battery. They are extremely useful in helping organize producer group members to a planned field day event where various trainings and demonstrations are carried out by visiting instructors.
The demand of COMACO's limited number of printers by its business, accounting and extension staff puts an enormous strain on computers currently in use. Computers are critically needed to fill this shortfall and COMACO would greatly welcome the support of used or new computers.
Treadle pumps are hand-operated water pumps ideal for small-scale irrigation for vegetable gardens or small-size crops. The are used from a well, typically from within an electric fence where wildlife is excluded. They are extremely helpful to families for growing a dry season supply of fresh vegetables and helps to reduce local dependency on game meat. To receive a treadle pump, villages must have a good record of non-use of snares and must undergo the required training in dry season food production skills.
To enable COMACO to effectively transport It's Wild! bottled products like honey and peanut butter in bulk to urban markets, it has become necessary to bulk wrap bottles as a single wholesale unit of 24 bottles. By bulk-wrapping, there is less risk of damage or theft in transit and larger-stores prefer to have their goods arrive shrink-wapped for safer storage. By purchasing a shrink wrapping machine, COMACO would be better able to expand its sales to better-paying markets in urban areas, thus giving our producers a better margin for the commodities they sell.
Click here to help us with a donation
BACK TO TOP
