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By Judoemue M. Kollie
The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) has announced its support for urban lowland rice production to bolster local rice production and strengthen food security in urban areas. The rice project is situated in the Zubah Town Community, Paynesville, on the outskirts of Monrovia.
The project is one of the several initiatives being supported by the Ministry to scale up rice production under the Emergency Rice Production Offensive (ERPO) Initiative.
The farm covered 8 hectares cultivated with improved rice seed varieties established by a group calling itself the Liberia First Conservation Agriculture Initiative (LFCAI).
Over the weekend the group whose membership comprised mainly people from the community launched the harvest of their rice project. The harvest is the first since the establishment of the project in 2023.
The occasion which was celebrated with joy and happiness by the farmers was witnessed by the Deputy Agriculture Minister for Planning and Development, David Akoi, the President of the National Rice Federation of Liberia, Mohammed Kamara, and the farmers from the community.
Launching the harvest on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah, Deputy Minister Akoi said that he was very much impressed that some Liberians are involved in some sort of agriculture activities in urban communities.
He said the involvement of more Liberians in developing the various swamps in their communities will contribute to promoting food security, creating jobs, and keeping the environment clean.
Minister Akoi underscored the need for more Liberians to get involved in growing the food they eat in the cities.
“Growing the food you eat is going to ensure the availability of healthy food for you and your families. This is something that the Ministry is looking forward to seeing more people doing,” he stated.
Minister Akoi mentioned that the Ministry is working to make sure that farmers are supported throughout the country to promote the government’s AREST agenda which spells out agriculture as a priority.
According to him, under the ERPO several farmers have received grants to develop the lowlands.
He said that under the National Agriculture Development Plan (NADP) rice production is a primary concern of the government.
“The Ministry supported this project with the provision of a grant to enable farmers to develop the farms. We also provided other inputs such as fertilizers and seeds to improve yield,” he explained.
Minister Akoi further said that his Ministry is going to support the farmers in the next few months in vegetable production.
“We want to support this project not only in rice but also vegetables. We believe by doing so we shall create income opportunities for more women and youths in this community,” he mentioned.
The National Rice Federation President, Mohammed Kamara thanked the Ministry for extending support to rice farmers in the country.
Kamara said that the Federation is working with the Ministry and partners to make sure that the rice sector is adequately supported.
Meanwhile, the farmers have lauded the Ministry for their support and expressed their willingness to work in growing more food for the community.
Soko Koryon, CEO of the LFCAI said, “We are ready to grow more food for the community and our families as this is going to ensure healthy food for us and other community members.
He said that the support from the Ministry has encouraged them to develop more interest in urban agriculture.
However, he mentioned that the project will need additional support interns of equipment and access to processing opportunities.
Urban and peri-urban agriculture is the growing of crops and the raising of animals in cities and their surroundings. It was introduced in Liberia after the civil war to create jobs and improve the food and nutrition security for Liberians.
Urban food security is a growing concern in Liberia, particularly as urbanization accelerates and the demand for affordable, nutritious food rises. The Ministry of Agriculture’s (MoA) Urban Lowland Rice Production Project is a timely and critical intervention in addressing this issue.
However, despite support from international partners in the past to make the practice sustainable, the sector is still faced with many challenges. Agriculture Minister Nuetah relaunched the program early this year to encourage more Liberian involvement.
Currently, the Ministry has embarked on the development of several lowlands that were abandoned over the years in urban communities for rice and vegetable production. The goal is to increase the supply of healthy food for the community people and to create more jobs as well as to keep the environment clean.
