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Foya District, Lofa–The Mayor River Women Initiative Society, a vibrant community of women dedicated to rice and vegetable production, is making significant strides in transforming agriculture in Foya District.
By: G. Watson Richards, contributing writer
Elizabeth Telmoh, a member of the society, expressed her enthusiasm for farming. “I don’t have any other work to do; that’s why I’m here doing this hard labor work,” she said.
Elizabeth is particularly grateful to the Start-P Project for their support, which has been instrumental in improving their farming practices. “We’re grateful to the Start-P family for helping us build our mini dam, purchase two acres of land, and renovate our warehouse,” she added.
The construction of the dam has been a game-changer for the Mayor River Women Initiative Society. “This dam is really helping us because it was very difficult before to get water for our production. But now it’s a great help even during the dry season. We now cultivate twice as compared to the previous years when we only cultivated once a year due to the lack of water,” Elizabeth explained.
She also highlighted the need for more support, calling on the government to provide machinery to ease their work.
“We need machines to plant rice, harvest rice, and process it. I, myself, want to learn to operate the power tiller machine,” she said.
The secretary of the Mayor River Women Initiative Society Paul Temgbeh elaborated on their involvement in the value chain of rice and vegetable production.
“We produce 27 hectares of lowlands. We are faced with many challenges, chief among them being warehousing, marketing, and pricing. We sell our rice on credit to local companies at a low price and are not making profits. Sales are still our major challenge,” Temgbeh stated.
The society was able to secure a grant from the Start-P Project to build a dam and a mini reservoir, addressing their critical water needs.
“Water used to be our major challenge during production. With the help of the dam, we’re able to produce twice and almost three times a year. We now produce 3 metric tons per hectare compared to the previous years when we used to produce 2 to 2.5 metric tons per hectare,” he noted.
Despite the progress, the society continues to face challenges in warehousing and market access.
They currently rent warehouses to store their rice and are in dire need of larger, permanent storage facilities.
Additionally, they require machinery to improve planting, harvesting, and processing efficiency.
The Mayor River Women Initiative Society’s journey reflects the broader challenges and opportunities in Liberia’s agricultural sector.
With continued support and investment, initiatives like this can drive economic growth, improve food security, and empower local communities, particularly women, in agriculture.
About Mayor River Women Initiative Society.
The Mayor River Women Initiative Society is dedicated to rice and vegetable production in Foya District, Lofa.
Through support from the Start-P Project, they have improved their agricultural practices and infrastructure, significantly enhancing their productivity and resilience.
The society remains committed to overcoming challenges and driving agricultural development in the region.