On 10 October 2025, the Mangsungsim Shea Women Cooperative (MGSC) celebrated a historic milestone: the launch of its Farmer Service Center (FSC) in the Janga community, West Mamprusi District, Ghana.
Led by Chairperson MemunatuAbdul Karim and supported by Agriterra through the Acting Now Project, this milestone marks a turning point for hundreds of smallholder farmers, especially women, who now have easier, safer, and fairer access to agricultural inputs and services.
“This is the first time I feel fully part of a structured, supportive agricultural system, ”Memunatu Abdul Karim shared with pride and optimism.
The Mangsungsim Shea Women Cooperative brings together more than 600 women farmers, primarily engaged in shea nut aggregation. Shea nuts are their main source of income, but members also grow vegetables, cowpea, soybean, and maize for home consumption and local sale.
In 2023, Agriterra identified MGSC as a key partner in improving food and nutrition security among rural households. During the partnership’s early assessments, members raised a clear challenge: access to affordable, quality farm inputs and reliable technical guidance was extremely limited.
Farmers faced multiple barriers:
- High input prices forced them to reduce farm sizes or delay planting.
- Long travel distances to distant markets.
- Lack of agronomic advice and technical guidance.
- Counterfeit inputs that destroyed trust and harmed productivity.
The Farmer Service Center(FSC) emerged as a homegrown solution, an idea born in cooperative meetings that has now become a trusted local hub for agricultural access, learning, and empowerment.
With Agriterra’s support, the FSC now sources inputs directly from certified distributors, ensuring quality, affordability, and trust. Members can buy what they need locally, seek advice, and learn in a safe, inclusive space.
The FSC is already making a difference by:
- Providing affordable, high-quality inputs that boost yields and cut production costs.
- Ensuring authenticity, protecting farmers from counterfeit products.
- Offering tailored technical support, especially for women with limited literacy.
- Becoming a local knowledge hub where farmers can learn, share, and grow together.
The success of this initiative reflects what’s possible when empowered cooperatives, strong leadership, and collaborative partnerships come together.
Through the Acting Now Project, Agriterra has strengthened MGSC’s leadership, business planning, and financial systems. The cooperative has been linked to trusted suppliers and received co-financing to establish its first input stock, laying the foundation for a self-sustaining, community-led business model.
“When women lead, entire communities thrive. The Farmer Service Center shows how inclusion and partnership can drive real, lasting change.”  Inusah Ibrahim – Chief of the Soo Traditional Area Janga community.
As the Acting Now Project continues through 2026, the Mangsungsim Farmer Service Center stands as a model for replication, proof that when women-led cooperatives receive the right support, they can bridge rural service gaps, enhance food security, and build local prosperity
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