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By Abraham K. Kollie
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KAKATA, Margibi County — Twenty-six cassava farmers from seven counties have been certified as seed growers and seed enterprises following a two-day intensive training aimed at strengthening Liberia’s supply of quality planting materials and contributing to national food security.
The training, organized by the Seed Development and Certification Agency (SDCA) in partnership with the Seeds4Liberia Project, concluded on Thursday, August 21, 2026, in Kakata, Margibi County.
Participants came from Montserrado, Bomi, Gbarpolu, Margibi, Bong, Nimba and Lofa counties, representing a growing network of farmers who are being equipped to produce, process, manage and market certified cassava planting materials.
The initiative comes as Liberia continues to grapple with food insecurity, high food prices, limited employment opportunities and disruptions in food supply. The United Nations World Food Programme has identified food insecurity and malnutrition as persistent challenges, with poverty and limited access to essential services among the underlying factors.
Against this backdrop, agricultural authorities and development partners are increasingly focusing on strengthening domestic food production, including improving farmers’ access to quality seeds and planting materials.
Building Liberia’s Seed Industry
The recent training is designed to address a critical weakness in Liberia’s agricultural sector: the limited availability of quality and certified planting materials.
SDCA Director General Jobson A. Momo said the program is particularly important for cassava because the crop remains a major staple food and an important source of income for thousands of Liberian households.
“Quality seed is the foundation of productivity. If we want to increase food security, raise farmers’ income, and make Liberia self-sufficient, we must start with certified seeds,” Momo said.
He explained that while many farmers and seed producers are already engaged in cassava multiplication, limited technical knowledge in production, quality assurance, processing, storage and business management has affected the quality and availability of planting materials.
“This training is to strengthen the technical and managerial capacities of seed growers, traders and seed companies. We want them to understand national seed policies, meet certification standards, and run seed businesses like real companies,” Momo added.
From Farmers to Seed Entrepreneurs
At the end of the training, participants received certificates recognizing them as certified seed growers and seed enterprises.
For SDCA, the certification represents more than an award. It is part of a broader strategy to professionalize Liberia’s seed industry and create a network of local seed producers capable of supplying farmers with reliable planting materials.
The two-day training covered key areas of seed production and management, including introduction to seed systems in Liberia, national seed policies and regulations, principles of seed production, field inspection and quality control, processing, packaging, storage, marketing, certification and record keeping.
Participants were also introduced to practical approaches for maintaining quality throughout the seed production cycle.
SDCA said the objective is to ensure that certified growers understand the requirements for producing quality planting materials and are able to comply with national certification standards.
The agency also emphasized the importance of proper record keeping and business management, recognizing that a sustainable seed system requires farmers to operate not only as producers but also as entrepreneurs.
“We Are No Longer Just Farmers”
For many participants, the training represented a significant shift in how they view their agricultural activities.
Korto Sackie, a cassava grower from Lofa County, said the training changed her understanding of cassava production and opened new opportunities for her business.
“Before this training, we just cut sticks and sold them anyhow. Now I know how to select healthy cuttings, inspect my field, package properly and keep records. We are no longer just farmers. We are now seed companies. This certificate means my business will grow.”
James Kollie from Bong County described the training as “life-changing,” particularly because of the lessons on quality control.
“We have been struggling because farmers complain that our cuttings don’t grow well. Today SDCA taught us quality control. When I go home, I will apply everything. Liberia will not lack good cassava seed again because we are ready to supply,” he said.
For Comfort Pay, also from Bong County, the lessons on marketing and record keeping were among the most valuable aspects of the training.
“The part about marketing and record keeping opened my eyes. Seed is business. If we follow the standards, we can sell across counties and even export one day. I thank SDCA and Seeds4Liberia for believing in us small farmers,” she said.
A Foundation for Food Security
Agricultural officials believe that expanding access to certified planting materials could significantly improve cassava productivity and strengthen household food security.
Because cassava is widely cultivated across Liberia, increasing the availability of healthy and high-quality planting materials could help farmers reduce production losses, improve yields and generate greater income from the crop.
The certification of the 26 growers also provides an opportunity to decentralize Liberia’s seed production system, reducing farmers’ dependence on limited sources of planting materials.
Momo encouraged the graduates to apply the knowledge gained during the training and become reliable suppliers within their respective communities.
“The hands-on expertise you have gained positions you to better contribute to the production and distribution of certified seeds in Liberia,” he told the graduates.
The SDCA says the new cohort will also strengthen collaboration among seed growers, traders, regulators and other stakeholders while contributing to the development of a more organized national seed system.
Seeds4Liberia Support
The Seeds4Liberia Project reaffirmed its commitment to working with SDCA to strengthen Liberia’s seed sector and expand similar capacity-building initiatives to other crops and counties.
The partnership is expected to help build a larger network of trained and certified local seed producers capable of responding to farmers’ growing demand for quality planting materials.
For Liberia, the initiative represents an important step toward building a stronger domestic agricultural system—one in which farmers are not only consumers of planting materials but also producers, certified suppliers and entrepreneurs.
As the newly certified cassava seed growers return to their communities, expectations are high that their knowledge and businesses will help improve access to quality cassava planting materials and, ultimately, contribute to higher productivity, increased farmer incomes and greater food security across Liberia.
