By Ben TC Brooks
River Gee County – Dec. 19, 2024 – The Ministry of Agriculture has made significant strides in advancing agricultural productivity through its smallholder Agriculture Development for Food and Nutrition Security (SADFONS) project.
In the midst of an $8.2 million budget funded by the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, the initiative is focused on enhancing smallholder farmers’ productivity, improving market access, and reducing poverty in several counties.
Such initiative is extended to Southeast, River Gee County for 400 Farmers who have benefited from the project, receiving much needed farming equipment to improve production.
Farming equipment distributed includes; Shovels, Garden-hoes, Rakes, Cutlasses and Measuring twines. Other tools are; Watering-cans, Rain-boots, and Assorted planting materials.
Despite these efforts, local farmers continue to face challenges with production and access to markets, keeping the country reliant on imports of staple crops such as rice.
The farming equipment distributed are intended to ease the many constraints local farmers go through to invest in the soil, SADFONS Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Aaron Nyanquinyee Yoko, said.
He added that, for the sector to get on track and produce more food, farmers who have received the equipment should work with other local farmers.
“With projects like SADFONS, the ministry aims to ensure food security and meet the country’s growing food security needs and market demands”.
“Months back, we conducted field visits to assess the impact of the interventions in many counties and River Gee was one of those,” he concluded.
For his part, River Gee County Agriculture Coordinator, Jasper Sheriff Tweh warned farmers to use the equipment appropriately in order to avoid damages and other kinds of setbacks.
“It’s our fervent hope that you will use those tools and seeds given for its intended purpose. My office, through the District Agriculture Officers (DAOs) will vigorously monitor you and at the same time provide some technical backstopping in order to produce the needed result,” Tweh added.
He assured that the Ministry of Agriculture remains committed to supporting smallholder farmers, increasing local production, and reducing Liberia’s dependency on imports.
He however thank his head office the MoA and partners for the support given to famers under his watchful eyes as head of the sector in the county.
Beyond equipment distribution, SADFONS is also investing in rehabilitating and constructing irrigation infrastructure for lowland rice cultivation in the County.
Meanwhile, beneficiaries who came from Fish Town, Kanweaken and Pronoken of River Gee have thanked and praised the Ministry of Agriculture for such donation and promised to wisely use the materials received.
The distribution was held during the week at the ministry of Agriculture local office in the county Capital, Fish-Town.
Edited: Jesefu Morris Keita
