The objective is to store part of the harvest in a warehouse of the village; the Association pays for to build up stocks. The cereals are sold by the peasants after the harvest at market price. Later on, when the granaries are empty, the cereal bank sells back cereals to the peasants of the village at market price (higher than the price paid at the harvest season). These sales allow rebuilding and even increasing the stock during the following season. The generated profits coming from the differential in price are kept by the village rather than bringing profits to traders.
In 2006 a cereal bank was created at Lougou, also at Gaouna and Guezanaya, two villages at the north of Arewa (AECIN) as well as Angoual Saoulo and Goofat (Amis du Niger).
A management committee is needed to effectively run the cereal bank without external help and RAEDD provides the training of the members of the committee.
In 2010 two new cereal banks were established with help from the city of Cesson, in Koujac and Dadin Kooua, in the Dankassari district.
In 2016, following an appraisal of cereal banks and mills, a training plan was drafted for all the Cereal Bank Management Commitees in Dankassari. The Koujak and Dadin Kooua cereal banks have been upgraded, one that was superfluous in Lougou was transferred to Faya and a new one was installed in Douzou.
On that occasion the cereal banks of Gaouna and Guézanaya (Matankari commune) have been upgraded and Management Committees have been trained.
In 2021, cereal storage was created at Garin Aggour and at Koumtchi in Dankassari district. Each cereal store staff received training sessions for their COGES and steady follow up from RAEDD.
At the beginning of 2022, three villages in the commune of Dankassari which were in significant deficit of food production during the 2021 harvest were identified for the establishment of new cereal banks; these are the villages of Angoual Kassa, Lillato and Nakigaza Dechi, with a total population of 3000 inhabitants. Crowd made it possible to finance the cereal banks of Angoual Kassa and Lillato. In 2023, funding from the MEAE also made it possible to finance the cereal bank of Nakigaza Dechi and to construct quality buildings for the cereal banks of Angoual Kassa, Lillato, Nakigaza Déchi and Saourin Kaihi.
Four villages in the municipality of Matankari also benefited from the purchase of bags of cereals for their cereal banks. These are Gaouna, Guézangna, Doumé and Baringo.