Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, June 25, 2026 – Liberia has reaffirmed its commitment to climate-resilient and inclusive agricultural development through its active participation in the Regional Farmers’ Forum for West and Central Africa, organized by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
The three-day forum brought together farmers’ organizations, government officials, development partners, and agricultural experts from across the region to exchange knowledge, share experiences, and identify practical solutions to the challenges facing rural communities.
The Liberian delegation was led by IFAD Country Director for Liberia and Sierra Leone, Pascaline Barankeba.
The delegation also included Stephen Marvie, Project Coordinator of STAR-P/ILSA; Emmanuel Vah, Project Coordinator of the IFAD Project
Implementation Unit (PIU); project staff; Josephine Francis, President of the Farmers Union Network; and farmer John Selma.
Liberia made meaningful contributions to the discussions. Mr. Marvie served on a high-level panel on the use of weather information and climate-smart technologies, highlighting how these innovations are helping smallholder farmers increase productivity, strengthen resilience and adapt to climate change.
Madam Francis also represented the voices of Liberian farmers on a separate panel, underscoring the indispensable role of farmers—particularly women—in the design and implementation of IFAD-supported interventions.
She stressed the importance of ensuring that farmers remain at the heart of agricultural policies and development programs.
Throughout the forum, participants explored strategies to strengthen farmers’ organizations, promote climate-smart agriculture, improve access to markets, empower women and youth, and mobilize greater investment in rural development.
For Liberia, the forum provided a valuable platform to showcase lessons from IFAD-supported initiatives while learning from successful experiences across West and Central Africa. The exchanges reinforced the country’s commitment to building resilient food systems and improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.
The forum concluded with renewed commitments to strengthen regional collaboration and accelerate investments in climate-smart agriculture.
For Liberia, the engagement reinforced the importance of partnerships in building resilient food systems and improving rural livelihoods.
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