The President of FarmingFarmersFarms (FFF) Ibadan Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Ms. Beatrice Adenike Adigun has unveiled her vision to expand the cooperative society across Nigeria and beyond, with a focus on empowering farmers, ending food insecurity, and mentoring young Nigerians into practicing agriculture.
Adigun, who is a native of Osogbo in Osun State and a teacher at the Royal College, Bashorun, Ibadan, disclosed this in an interview with the Managing Editor of FarmingFarmersFarms, Olakunle Ariyibi, where she spoke on the cooperative’s journey, achievements, and challenges. She said the cooperative, which is an arm of FarmingFarmersFarms (FFF), was founded on July 9, 2026, and currently has 42 committed members.
According to her, the cooperative society was established with three core objectives, to empower farmers, to build wealth and to grow together – and is distinguished by its commitment to farmers’ capacity building through trainings, workshops, and seminars.
She added that despite financial constraints and support, the cooperative has recorded major milestones, including its registration with the Oyo State Government, while calling for immense support from the government, non-governmental organisations, and financial institutions to sustain its programmes and impact society better. Experts:
Can you, please, introduce yourself
My name is Beatrice Adenike Adigun. I am a native of Osogbo in Osun State, a Catholic and a teacher at the Royal College, Bashorun, Ibadan, and reside in Ibadan. Also, I am the President of FarmingFarmersFarms (FFF) Ibadan Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative Society.
Can you briefly tell us about your cooperative, when it was founded, its membership strength, and core objectives?
The cooperative is an arm of FFF to empower farmers and society at large. It was founded on 9th July, 2026 and presently has about 42 members, who are highly committed to ensuring that the cooperative moves forward and achieve its mandate.
The core objectives are:
i. To empower farmers.
ii. To build wealth.
iii. To grow together.
What is your vision for this cooperative in the next 3-5 years?
My vision in the next 3-5 years is to have different branches of the cooperative across the various states in the country and outside the country, and to empower farmers, who are committed to bringing an end to food insecurity in Nigeria also to mentor younger Nigerians to take interest in agriculture to make food available for the common Nigerian.
What makes your cooperative different from other cooperatives?
We are committed to empowering farmers through training, workshops, seminars, etc. We are also committed to nation-building through different programmes for established farmers and upcoming ones.
How is the cooperative managed to ensure transparency and accountability?
We run an open-door policy and an inclusive administration, which makes it easier for any member to support and contribute meaningfully to the success of the cooperative. We ensure transparency and accountability through the opening of a bank account, and we have three signatories to the account, the President, representative of FFF publication, which is the Editor-in-Chief, being the parent body, and the Treasurer.
What are the criteria of becoming a member, and what are the benefits?
The criteria for becoming a member are:
i. The person must be responsible.
ii. He or she must be committed to the cause of the group.
iii. He or she must be trustworthy.
iv. He or she must register fully by paying the sum of N5,000, as registration fee.
v. The candidate must belong to the FFF community platform as well.
The benefits are: access to funding, and getting financial support for your farm and business. Others are capacity building through training, workshops, and skills development; networking by connect with farmers, experts, and opportunities.
How does the cooperative generate funds to sustain its operations?
The cooperative generates funds and sustains its operations through:
i . Registration fees paid by members.
ii. Grants.
ii. Training fee and other support.
What is your biggest financial challenge, and how are you handling it?
The biggest financial challenge is how to get money to execute our programmes. However, efforts are ongoing, as we have written and submitted our proposals to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and others, hoping to meet with relevant government agencies for support and collaboration, where necessary.
How do you handle members, who did not meet their obligations?
For members who did not meet their obligations, a passionate appeal is being made to them. We all know what is on ground now, the economic situation we are in presently, and how people struggle to make sure they provide for their families, no matter what. We have to encourage them and talk to them.
What would you say are your major achievements since you became President?
The major achievements since I became the President, are:
i. Registration of the cooperative society with the Oyo State Government.
ii. Getting fully registered with a certificate for the society, as established by law.
What are the major challenges facing the cooperative, today?
The major challenges facing the cooperative today are:
i. Financial constraints.
ii. Poor commitment from some members.
iii. Lack of proper support from the government.
How has the current economic situation affected your cooperative body and its members?
The current economic situation has affected the cooperative and its members greatly in the aspect of funds. Many banks are not ready to support agribusiness, and individuals that should ordinarily help are not comfortable to do so due to economic hardship.
What welfare packages or support systems do you have for members?
Welfare packages for members are:
i. Access to loans.
ii. Purchase of commodities at cheaper rates.
iii. Dividends payout.
iv. Training, workshops, seminars, and sensitisation programmes.
How do you encourage inactive members to participate more?
Inactive members are being encouraged to participate more by introducing to them the benefits of being active members. What they stand to gain is far more than their input, hence, the reason why they need to be more committed in order to enjoy and benefit from the cooperative programmes.
What advice do you have for young people, who may want to join or form cooperatives?
My advice for young people, who may wish to join or form cooperatives is that they must be determined and committed because cooperative is good. When we work together as a team to achieve common purpose, we would achieve more and make our society a better place.
What support do you need from government, non-governmental organisation (NGOs), or financial institutions?
We need a lot of support from NGOs and financial institutions, such as grants, collaborations on farmers’ training, and so on.
Where do you see this cooperative at its next anniversary?
I see this cooperative at its next anniversary, as one of the best in Nigeria and also a great promoter of farmers’ interest.
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