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By Josiah Pailay | October 10, 2026/ 0881913880 0760808849/ Josiahpailay96@gmail.com
GBARNGA, Women should not be discouraged from farming because of gender stereotypes, Lovetta Lorpu Dolo, an Agricultural Technical Adviser at the Institut Européen de Coopération et de Développement (IECD) in Liberia, has said.
Speaking in an interview with the Liberia Agricultural and Environmental Journalists Network (LAEJN) following a three-day gender-stereotypes training in Gbarnga, Dolo urged men to support women in agriculture and encouraged women to pursue farming and agribusiness.
“Women can work in agriculture, too. They should not sit down and wait for men. Regardless of gender, everyone should have the opportunity to participate in agriculture,” she said.
Dolo disclosed that IECD is working with approximately 230 beneficiaries across 30 communities in Bong County under the STAVE Project, promoting agroecological farming, providing agricultural tools, and creating agribusiness opportunities.
She also said the organization is collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture under the STAR-P program, supporting 100 farmer groups across 10 counties.
IECD’s agricultural work builds on its STRIVE project, launched in Liberia in 2020 with funding from the French Development Agency (AFD). The initiative combines vocational education, youth employability, and agricultural development.
The organization reports that its earlier agricultural activities in Bong County helped more than 270 vegetable farmers adopt improved production techniques and agroecological practices. Its farming demonstrations at the Central Agricultural Research Institute in Suakoko have also provided opportunities for practical learning.
<Link url=”https://www.iecd.org/en/countries-of-operation/sub-saharan-africa/liberia/” title=”IECD’s official Liberia profile”/>.
Beyond farming, IECD works with vocational training institutions to improve practical education and prepare young people for employment. Its partnerships include the Liberia Opportunities Industrialization Center (LOIC) and other training institutions.
In May 2025, Liberia’s Ministry of Education announced the validation of an agroecological vegetable-gardening curriculum developed to strengthen practical agricultural education and prepare young people for entrepreneurship.
<Link url=”https://moe.gov.lr/liberia-validates-new-agro-ecological-curriculum-to-strengthen-agricultural-education-and-youth-empowerment/” title=”Ministry of Education report”/>.
Dolo said IECD is training students at LOIC in Gbarnga and Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, and the Tumutu Agricultural Vocational Training Center in Lower Bong County. She added that the organization hopes to support graduates as they pursue employment and business opportunities.
She encouraged Liberians, particularly women and young people, to embrace agriculture as a pathway to income generation, entrepreneurship, and improved food security.
Her message is that developing Liberia’s agricultural sector requires not only better farming methods and training, but also equal opportunities for women and men to participate and succeed.
