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By: Richard Williams/0775339618/ 0881084573/ [email protected]
Suehn Mecca, Bomi county-In a significant step toward boosting inclusive agricultural productivity and sustainability, the Human Initiative Agriculture Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society of Liberia broke ground on Saturday for the construction of its national office in Alasalla Town, Suehn Mecca District, Bomi County.
Local stakeholders gathered over the weekend to contribute their resources and support, helping to kickstart the construction process and bring the cooperative’s vision to life.
Speaking during the ceremony, the group’s National Chairperson, Josiah Varney, provided background on the cooperative’s journey.
Established in December 2023, the organization began with a mini-cocoa nursery. Today, it has expanded to include rice and vegetable farming, with plans to extend into livestock and other livelihood programs that will benefit the community and Bomi County at large.
Varney commended the citizens for their cooperation, noting that despite the region’s prominence as a gold mining area, both women and men are increasingly taking an interest in farming to ensure food security and sustainable agricultural practices.
“Despite our region’s prominence as a gold mining area, both women and men are increasingly taking an interest in farming,” Varney noted. “They see agriculture as the path to food security and sustainable livelihoods. That shift is powerful.”
When completed, the multipurpose agriculture office will house an agricultural storage facility and a mini-training center dedicated to agricultural education and capacity building for the community.
Making her remarks, Chairlady of the group, Madam Zoe Johnson, emphasized that the cooperative’s efforts—especially the construction of their head office—aim to rewrite the narrative and demonstrate their capability in agriculture.
She called for increased support as the women work with limited resources to maintain agricultural productivity.
She expressed optimism that increased production would allow the cooperative to sell larger quantities, helping to ease local economic hardship.
“Our efforts, especially this office, show our capability in agriculture,” Madam Johnson stated. “We are asking for increased support so we can maintain productivity and expand. With more production, we can sell in larger quantities and help ease the economic hardship in our community.”
Meanwhile, several local stakeholders pledged their support for the group’s initiative, emphasizing that agriculture is the backbone of any developed economy.
They called on the government to support grassroots cooperatives that have shown genuine interest in investing in the sector. The groundbreaking marks a promising milestone for community-led agricultural development in Bomi County
