Monrovia – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in late July 2016, distributed a consignment of assorted farm tools to six farmer organizations from across four counties, Montserrado, Margibi, Bomi and Nimba.
These six organizations were selected based on request for support they had earlier submitted to FAO Liberia.
Amongst those farmers who benefitted were; Sean Devereux Children Education and Agriculture Program (SDCEA), and Development Brokers (DB) both in Brewerville, Montserrado County.
Women & Children Development Association of Liberia (WOCDAL) in Margibi, Kpagbala Farmers in Bomi, Humanity Care-Liberia (HCL) and Dordelah Farmers Association both in Nimba County were also recipients of the assorted hand tools.
The package consisted of: cutlasses (curves), rakes, knapsack sprayers, pin-ash, measurement tapes (30m), quality seeds, twine ropes, shoves, axes, diggers, flash tapes (for scaring birds), hand gloves, trap wires, watering cans, okras and fertilizers (UREA 60%).
Reducing rural poverty is one of FAO five Strategic Objectives and FAO Liberia is presently working with 300 rural farming groups mostly women through the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) to fight poverty.
This assistance is intended to support rural farmers in the four counties of Liberia where the distribution was conducted to improve crop production.
Mr. Sanor, the Executive Director of SDCEA emphasized the importance of FAO assistance to his organization.
“We have conducted series of assessments in some agriculture communities and found out that those communities are engaged in charcoal production that can contribute to depleting the forest and cause harm to the soil, to reduce this, we have decided to introduce quick impact initiative through vegetable production for fast income generation for farmers and with this distribution we will achieve our goal.”
In Bahn-Nimba County, Mr. David Karyar farm manager for Humanity Care-Liberia (HCL) greeted the team with excitement.
“We are grateful for the assistance; this will motivate the farmers to work.”
Mr. Karyar added “Since we were established for the past one year now, this has been the first huge consignment of tools we have received.” He added that HCL is engaged with 250 groups comprising 1950 farmers in Nimba.
“We are currently involved in cassava, cocoa, banana and plantain production.”
Dordelah “Trust in God” farmers are based in Kpaytuo, Nimba working with 50 farmers in vegetable and rice production. The group has extended gratitude to FAO for the continued support to them over the years.