Securing women’s livelihoods with shea

‘Sommalife is a flagship partner in our Ghana portfolio,’ says Bas Evers, Program Manager. ‘They operate on a large scale and manage to improve the lives of many, mostly female, farmers. Their support for income diversification, seedling program training, digitalization to enhance data quality, and use of agroforestry means they tick all the boxes.’

Sommalife currently sources its shea products from 316 communities across five Northern regions in Ghana and the Southern parts of Burkina Faso, boasting a network of over 70,000 smallholder farmers, from which 35,500 benefitted from different bundles of services during the last shea season. Covering such a wide geographical area and supporting a large network of farmers can place a significant financial burden on the organization, especially during the shea season when sufficient working capital is crucial to keep all activities running smoothly.

Once the basics are in order, Sommalife focuses on strengthening the shea butter value chain. They do this by purchasing raw materials at fair prices, securing market access for smallholder farmers, and training them to produce high-quality shea butter.

Sommalife is committed to creating sustainable income and impact in rural communities, particularly for women smallholder farmers. They provide these women with access to resources, financial literacy and quality production trainings, reliable markets and sourcing from within the local communities, which, in turn, contributes to increased income and improved livelihoods. In 2023, Sommalife engaged 33,370 women across all segments of its operations, offering them access to fair markets.

Given that shea production is seasonal, Sommalife helps farmers achieve a stable annual income through income diversification. Their prefinancing helps selected farmers purchase inputs for the cultivation/production of crops such as soybeans and corn, which farmers grow to generate extra income or use for their own consumption. Since 2023, Sommalife purchases some of these crops as part of their product diversification strategy.

Sommalife is also a champion of environmental conservation, actively involved in shea tree conservation, planting, and training activities within the communities. They set up nurseries to grow new shea trees, train farmers on best practices for planting seedlings, and work on parkland conservation. By sensitizing farmers against the cutting down of shea and other high value trees for charcoal production and sales, Sommalife actively invests in preventing deforestation.

With these comprehensive efforts, Sommalife is not just transforming the shea supply chain but also enhancing the lives of women farmers and contributing to environmental sustainability.