Case Study Service Delivery Procurement Gender Nigeria Rice
Gender

Coscharis Rice Block Farming Model: A Win-Win Inclusive Business Model

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24 Nov 2025 • 5 minutes read

Summary

Coscharis Farms Limited, a commercial rice production and processing company in Anambra State, Nigeria, implemented a block farming model to integrate smallholder farmers (SHFs) and empower women and youth through in-grower and out-grower schemes. The project established a strong supply chain by recruiting 750 in-grower farmers on Coscharis’ nucleus farm and 4,250 out-grower farmers on community-leased lands. By leveraging economies of scale, Coscharis provided its block farmers with access to land, financial services (including insurance), training, quality inputs, mechanisation, and guaranteed offtake. These efforts led to a 75% increase in SHFs' productivity, a 9% rise in paddy rice supply, and a reduction in rice rejection rates from 40% to 5%. The block farming model proved especially beneficial for empowering women and youth, who often face barriers to land ownership in Nigeria’s patriarchal society. Ultimately, the project exceeded its initial farmer participation targets and built a resilient, inclusive business model.

How Does Coscharis drive GTBM?

To address the root causes of gender inequality while supporting the implementation of its GTBM, Coscharis implemented the following gender interventions across the key components:

1. Gender Strategy

  • Coscharis appointed dedicated staff, including a gender specialist, to manage its block farm and provide tailored agronomic support to farmers.
  • Of the approximately 5,000 SHFs involved in the block farm, Coscharis intentionally targeted one-third of women from the communities, with this engagement being carried out in consultation with community leaders and farmer groups.

2. Data collection

  • Cosharis employed gender-disaggregated data collection in its block farm to measure and monitor farmer reach, access to services, yields and procurement. This work was directly supported by a gender specialist.

3. Inclusive Workplace

  • The block farming model promoted gender inclusion by ensuring both women and men farmers had equitable access to land, inputs, and services, allowing them to participate in commercial rice farming.
  • Coscharis' block farm included both in-growers (working on the nucleus farm) and out-growers (from surrounding communities), creating direct and indirect job opportunities for women and men. Some women, particularly young migrants, returned to invest in farming activities within the block farm.

4. Inclusive Consultation

  • Ahead of the farming season, Coscharis offered women and men block farmers a menu of services, allowing them to select the services that best suited their needs and ambitions.

5. Adaptation for Inclusion 

  • The block farming model empowered women by granting access to services such as high-quality inputs, mechanisation, and irrigation, which would otherwise be unaffordable or inaccessible due to patriarchal customary laws.
  • Tailored services led to greater adoption of complex offerings like large-scale mechanisation, allowing women farmers to cultivate larger areas with reduced physical strain and optimised time for farming activities.
  • Coscharis provided access to finance for 1,350 women farmers (90% of the project target), empowering them to make independent investment decisions, despite cultural barriers restricting women’s access to financial resources in Nigeria.

To effectively articulate the gender interventions above, RGL implemented the innovative block farming model, as showcased below:

Unnamed 5
  1. Coscharis plans the block farm: goals, location, number of (women and men) farmers, crops, volumes, required services, management, etc.
  2. The company purchases or leases land; a single big plot and/or contiguous smaller plots. The land is parcelled in smaller plots to be farmed.
  3. Women and men SHFs are individually assigned the plots through previously negotiated contracts.
  4. The company delivers the agreed services to SHFs according to their choices from the menu of services.
  5. At the appropriate time, Coscharis coordinates the harvesting and off-taking of produce.
  6. The company pays SHFs for their products.

Achievements Made

Coscharis achieved several outcomes at both the company (business case) and farm level (impact case). These outcomes were driven by interventions across key components, the specific innovations outlined above, and other general aspects of the company's business model.

Business Case

  • Better procurement: Through the block farming model, Coscharis increased its paddy rice supply by 9%. Additionally, by effectively delivering services such as training, inputs, and mechanisation, the company reduced its rice rejection rate from 40% to 5%.
  • Enhanced social responsibility: Coscharis has strengthened its social responsibility through its block farm, investing $12.1 million in local communities over the last three years and creating 20 new direct jobs. The company incorporated 1,740 women into the block farm, representing 33% of total farmers. Additionally, the proportion of paddy rice sourced directly from SHFs increased from 16% to 52%.

Impact Case

  • Increased productivity: By gaining access to better services such as improved inputs, irrigation, and mechanisation, both women and men SHFs involved in the block farm increased their productivity by 75%.
  • Increased income: Women and men out-grower SHFs experienced a 103% increase in income. This significant growth was driven by improved productivity and Coscharis' guaranteed market.
  • Reduced cost of services: Block farmers benefited from lower service rates, as the model allowed Coscharis to leverage economies of scale. This increased access and affordability led to a 315% rise in women farmers adopting services and a 330% increase among all block farmers over the last three years.

Some of the outcomes at farm level can be visualised in the chart below. The chart shows the changes experienced by women farmers working with Coscharis over a 3-year period of commercial engagement. These changes highlight improvements across various categories, including: (a) increased access to mechanisation, quality inputs, and finance, (b) enhanced crop production and sales, (c) improved ability to deal with climate issues, and (d) reduced crop losses.

Changes experienced by women farmers

Unnamed 6

The chart above illustrates the changes reported by 94 women farmers working with Coscharis over a 3-year period, highlighting improvements in several key areas of farm performance. These include crop production and sales, climate resilience, and access to services. Notably, a reduction in crop losses is considered a positive outcome.  

Tips For replication of GTBM Components

Tips for replication of GTBM Components

Context

  • Block farms are most beneficial for women farmers in contexts where social norms restrict their access to land, credit, and advanced agricultural services.
  • Block farms are most effective with crops that can be produced in large quantities, such as cereals or root crops.
  • Large areas of farmland must be available and accessible, typically secured through purchasing or leasing.
  • Essential services must be available in the required volumes and at the appropriate times, tailored to the specific needs of individual farmers.

Best Practices

  • Engage communities and farmers, including women and youth, throughout the planning, implementation, and operation of the block farm.
  • Secure necessary capital and service providers early in the planning phase.
  • Involve key organisations (e.g., churches, schools) and individuals (e.g., village heads) when negotiating land and mobilising women farmers, ensuring their inclusion in the process.
  • Conduct due diligence on the legal status of land before finalising any agreements, to avoid litigation risks that could affect women farmers' access to land.
  • Establish formal relationships with SHFs through fair contracts, tailored to meet the specific needs of women farmers, and include off-take clauses to guarantee a market for them.
  • Set up a robust decision-making structure for effective management of the block farm, including a gender team or expert to address the specific needs of women farmers.

Enabling Conditions

  • The company must be committed to the farming model and possess strong leadership capabilities to coordinate activities effectively.
  • Necessary resources and management staff, including a gender expert, must be secured ahead of time.
  • SHFs must be accustomed to or open to working in coordination, and willing to collaborate and adopt new practices.

Outstanding Risks and Challenges 

  • Women's participation in the block farm can be limited by reluctance from some community members (e.g., husbands, chiefs).
  • Women farmers may be deterred from participating in the block farm if it conflicts with other responsibilities, such as childcare and household chores.
  • SHFs may struggle to collaborate effectively in the block farm, especially if they come from communities with existing conflicts or rivalries.
  • Securing capital and service providers early in the season can be challenging; without these resources, block farming may become unfeasible, and its positive impacts on women farmers may be diminished.
  • The gender transformative potential of block farms can be weakened if the design does not include interventions or innovations specifically aimed at improving gender performance (e.g., tailored finance, training).