Monrovia: Amid Liberia’s strive for sustained food needs; BRAC Liberia has launched a US $3milllion agriculture inception project aimed at increasing food security while reducing poverty and malnutrition in Liberia.
The three years programs will be implemented in 6 of the country’s 15 counties through the increment of the income of household by 50%, improve the production of household by 30% and improve the food consumption score (dietary diversity and nutritional value) of household by 10% before it ends.
As part of the project, a day-long workshop was conducted last week in an effort to focus on Breaking the cycle of Poverty and Malnutrition by investing in smallholder Value Chains.
Directly, the project will affect Climate-Smart Agriculture, Poultry & Livestock rearing, Nutritional homestead gardening, mother nutritional forums, training in improved agriculture techniques and technologies as well as enterprise and entrepreneurship development among others.
Particularly, BRAC’s Food Security and livelihood programs are sponsored by the United States Based ‘King Philanthropy’.
During the workshop, BRAC Liberia Country Representative Md. MAINUDDIN AHMED reassured his organization’s commitment to working with Liberians to improve their livelihood across the country
“BRAC is fully committed to working with Liberians under our various projects and program as seen from its existence in Liberia since 2008.”
“And since our inception in Liberia in 2008, beside the Central Agriculture Research Institute (CARI), BRAC is the only organization carrying on pure and Improve seed multiplication and production of feeds for livestock in Liberia,” Mr. AHMED said.
He boasted of further collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and other International organizations working in the country, stating that BRAC is currently in 10 out of the 15 counties of Liberia. Those counties include Margibi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Montserrado, Bomi and Grand Cape Mount Counties respectively.
According to the BRAC Liberia Country Representative, his organization is working with poor and vulnerable households in helping to develop their human capacity in the agriculture, food production, education, health, microfinance through it various donors including, UNICEF, USAID, and others, EU remains BRAC-Liberia longtime partner.
He also said that the KP project started in January 2018 but due to Liberia Presidential and Representative election there was a bit delay in the implementation scheduled noting that despite that, BRAC Liberia is always open to working with the Liberian people as seen from its present activities across the country.
The BRAC Liberia head reassured his organization full commitment of working with the Government of Liberia in ensuring the agriculture and others sectors improve to meet the pro-poor agenda of the government.
Also speaking, the Director General of CARI, Dr. Marcus Jones lauded BRAC Liberia for contributing to the agricultural and other sectors of the country which he described as very essential to the improvement of any nation.
According to Dr. Jones, BRAC and other developmental partners are the training model in enhancing the capacity of farmers and other professionals in the different sector of the country which is one of the main priorities of the Government of Liberia.
Dr. Jones, however, urged the beneficiaries to be focused and learn new skills and methods of crops and livestock production as well as homestead gardening during the three years of the KP project under BRAC which could benefit them in their various working in the agriculture sector of Liberia.
For his part, BRAC Liberia ‘King Philanthropy’ Manager Dr. Babul stated that the three (3) years project will work with a total of 15,000 severely poor households that have limited access to land of one acre or less and moderately poor households that have land of one acre to three acres for this entire project cycle.
According to him, 5000 beneficiaries will receive training and support in Poultry & Livestock, and 10,000 household will receive training and support in Climate Smart Agriculture.
“Additionally, training and support to 200 community promoters and enterprises, the project is expected to reach 16,000 additional indirect beneficiaries with the 200 community agriculture and livestock promoters serving 10,000 new clients,100 local nutritional awareness campaigns who might likely reach about 6,000 additional people.
“Fifty (50) Community Base Organization leaders will be trained and fifty (50) small entrepreneurs will also be trained and given start-up support to enhance market linkages and value addition to project beneficiaries” Dr. Babul explained.
BRAC, established in Bangladesh since 1972 with Headquarter in Netherland, started development operation in Liberia since 2008 with thematic areas in Health, Agriculture, Microfinance, Adolescent & Women Empowerment, and Enterprise Development.
Currently, BRAC has activities and implementing projects in Africa, Asia, United Kingdom, the United States of America, with Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Uganda and South Sudan including some countries in Asia.
