A lot of donor aid is spent on strengthening farmer groups, from the local to the regional level. Another fashionable topic is value chains.

Within farmer groups tensions inevitably emerge sooner or later.

The Maisha Bora women’s group in Tinganga village, central Kenya, is no exception. They started in 2012 with fifteen members, but two years later only ten members remain.

“We have developed clear rules to which all members have to abide,� says the chairperson Margaret Ruhiu. “From the initial group some members left. We are stronger now, as the remaining members all collaborate well.�

When probing about the type of tensions they have faced over the years, the women explain how initially they bought bananas from group members and nearby farmers by the bunch. Some women brought small bunches, others large ones, and all would get paid the same price, no matter the size.

I have seen many examples of farmer cooperatives and other groups that failed as soon as the outside facilitator stopped visiting the group. In part this is because the outsider can be an honest broker who helps to mediate conflicts as they come up. Once that support is gone, the group dissolves in bickering. In this case, the women were able to come up with their own ways of easing tensions.

For the Maisha Bora women’s group the size of the bunches varied so greatly that it created tensions. But this is now history: they now buy bunches by the kilogram after they bought a scale to weigh the bananas.

When individual members sell bananas to the group, they may be paid for the bananas the week after, once the banana flour has been sold. Other farmers are paid on the spot.

Contributions in labour are another potential area for tension. But the group also found a solution. For processing the bananas into flour, all members contribute labour equally. The time that they work is properly recorded, so that there is no space for misuse.

The money the members make by selling banana flour is put into a bank account, and supplements their weekly group savings. Each year, every member receives an equal dividend.

Trust can go a long way, but simple tools (such as weighing scales), proper rules and recording add just enough objectivity to discourage free-riders and to reward everyone fairly for their contributions. Organized groups of smallholders can function smoothly, but the members have to find ways to keep everyone honest.

For other examples of functioning farmer groups see our book on African Seed Enterprises, which you can download from http://agroinsight.com/books.php.