Terra Agricultural Cooperative

Terra Cooperative serves as the social enterprise wing of Environmental Defenders, ensuring financial sustainability for the organization while directly empowering a network of over 50,000 farmers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This initiative addresses climate resilience, financial inclusion, and sustainable agriculture by connecting farmers to critical resources and markets.

Objectives of Terra Cooperative

The cooperative has the following objectives:

To strengthen the capacities of its members and governance structures through education and awareness-raising, aiming to improve their well-being.
To assist members and producers in effectively managing climate threats and preserving the environment.
To encourage the use of climate-resilient agricultural techniques among members and producers.
To provide agricultural financing and loans to producers and members.
To support market-oriented agriculture among members, increasing their production and farm productivity by facilitating access to quality, affordable inputs, technologies, and credit for production.
To organize, facilitate, and support collective marketing among members and establish market links by integrating warehousing, bulk collection, and storage management.
To process and add value to members’ products to access high-value markets and secure better prices for the cooperative’s products.
To promote and engage in business and development partnerships that advance the market-oriented business model of cooperatives and contribute to achieving the cooperative’s goals.
To cultivate coffee, rice, cotton, cocoa, cassava, pineapples, beans, mangoes, peanuts, maize, onions, bananas, palm oil, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, milk, green vegetables, as well as producing fish and animal products for the domestic and global markets.
To facilitate the production, collective marketing, bulk selling, and value addition of products from its members or farmers in the regions where it operates, in line with its strategic objectives.
To work independently and with producers and members to protect and restore lands to safeguard biodiversity and the climate.
To establish carbon credit/carbon price sales from existing or planned tree plantations.
To work independently and with producers and members to protect habitats and endangered species for future generations.
To establish tree plantations to combat climate change and improve weather conditions, ensuring adequate rainfall for agricultural production.

In pursuit of its members’ economic, social, and cultural aspirations, the cooperative will also undertake any other activities that contribute to achieving its social objectives, including community development.

Focus Crops and Products

Terra Cooperative supports diverse crops and products, including:

Coffee, rice, cotton, cocoa, cassava, pineapples, beans, mangoes, peanuts, maize, onions, bananas, palm oil, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, milk, green vegetables, as well as fish and animal products for the domestic and global markets.

These efforts cater to both domestic markets and international exports, providing farmers with multiple income streams and fostering economic growth.

Our Vision

By doing this, we envision a future where farmers and producers are financially secure, environmentally aware, and resilient to climate and economic challenges. By merging financial inclusion, market integration, and environmental restoration, Terra Cooperative transforms rural communities into thriving ecosystems that promote sustainable development and self-reliance.

Supporting Market-Oriented Agriculture Growth

Conducting business mentoring and coaching through agribusiness Farmers Clinics to strengthen farmers' market penetration.