Enhancing the Production Capacity of Smallholder Rice Farmers in Liberia - GCP/LIR/029/JPN
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Rice is Liberia’s staple food, but over 90 percent of the country’s rice needs is imported at the cost of about USD 80 million a year. Liberia’s population growth has given rise to an increase in the demand for rice. This increase, coupled with low productivity, has led to a deficit in national rice production, as demonstrated by the huge variance between imported rice and local production. In addition, the rice development sector of the country faces multiple threats that challenge the economic and food security of the population. Farmers are constantly experiencing erratic rainfall patterns and unprecedented sweeping winds and floods, resulting in crop failures. Against this background, production patterns in the country are semi rudimentary , and the lack of equipment for agricultural work is one of the main problems faced by rice growers. The project aimed to enhance smallholder rice farmers’ capacity to increase their productivity, through the introduction of modern rice varieties and production techniques, as well as agricultural equipment, in two of the country’s three ‘breadbasket’ counties, Bong and Lofa.