Cookshop Market Spotlight: Careysburg Vegetable Cluster
Meet Augustine Otas, the lead farmer in a collective that set out to transform their lives in 2014.
When 20 farmers from Dennis Farm village in Montserrado County first formed the Careysburg Vegetable Cluster, it was because they were struggling to find consistent markets and attract decent value for their produce. Low prices had caused high wastage of their harvest, which in turn had led many of them to shift towards subsistence farming rather than engage in trade.
By combining their output, they were able to seek more stable, higher-value buyers, and attract opportunities that boosted their revenues beyond their expectations. According to Augustine, as a result “our income is growing and our lives are changing. We are able to send our children to school, continuously feed our families and take care of other things that our families need.”
Market linkages like Cookshop Market allow local farming groups like the Careysburg Vegetable Cluster to scale-up high-value vegetable production and increase their incomes. We serve your usual grocery shopping and delivery needs with a focus on produce from local growers like Augustine who are the roots of our economy.