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By: Richard Williams/0775339618/ 0881084573/ [email protected]
Tubmanburg, Bomi County — Bomi County has launched an ambitious initiative to cultivate 16 hectares of lowland rice as part of its 2025 Agriculture Program Agenda. The initiative is being framed as a foundational step toward achieving food self-sufficiency and supporting the national ARREST agenda championed by President Joseph Boakai. The ARREST initiative prioritizes Agriculture, Roads, Rule of law, Education, Sanitation, and Tourism as pillars of development.
At the ceremonial launch in Tubmanburg, Senator Alex Tyler positioned the rice cultivation program as a strategic and symbolic gesture that aligns county-level planning with national development priorities. Receiving a copy of the agriculture agenda on behalf of the Bomi Legislative Caucus, Senator Tyler pledged to present the document directly to President Boakai, indicating a clear intent to elevate the county’s agricultural development plan to the national policy conversation.
Tyler emphasized Bomi’s historical leadership in policy innovation, particularly in the establishment of community colleges. He argued that this precedent positions Bomi to again serve as a model, this time in agriculture. He further committed to advocating for increased allocations in the County Development Fund to directly support agricultural investments.
“If we led in introducing community colleges, we can also lead in prioritizing agriculture through dedicated budget lines,” Senator Tyler noted.
Superintendent Miatta Dorley used the platform to challenge longstanding narratives that depict Bomi citizens as unproductive. Instead, she framed the issue as a systemic lack of access to agricultural support and resources, not an unwillingness to work.
Dorley projected that by 2029 or 2030, Bomi County could reach food self-sufficiency if current efforts are maintained and scaled. Her assertion reflects a shift from reactive development practices toward more proactive, long-term planning tied to clear benchmarks and deliverables.
“The people of Bomi are not lazy. What they have lacked is opportunity. With support, they will produce enough food not only for themselves but for the market,” Dorley declared.
She urged the national legislature to increase financial and logistical backing for agriculture across Liberia, aligning her message with broader calls for rural investment and decentralization of development planning.
Stakeholders present at the launch event praised the initiative as a first for the county. Notably, Representative Obediah Varney of District One underscored the urgency of diversifying agricultural production. While rice remains a staple, Varney advocated for complementary investments in commercial crops, particularly rubber, to provide employment opportunities and boost local revenue.
“We must think beyond subsistence. A rubber plantation, for example, can generate jobs and attract funding,” Varney argued. “Other countries are investing resource revenues into agriculture—we should do the same.”
Varney’s comments highlighted a broader theme: Liberia’s comparative advantage in agriculture remains underutilized due to fragmented policy implementation and insufficient investment in agro-industrial value chains.
The launch of the rice cultivation project in Bomi signals a recalibration of local governance priorities, positioning agriculture not only as a tool for food security but also as a driver of economic transformation. The initiative represents a convergence of grassroots mobilization, political endorsement, and policy alignment with national frameworks.
However, the sustainability of the program will depend on several factors, including reallocation or augmentation of the County Development Fund, institutional coordination between local authorities, the Ministry of Agriculture, and donor partners, and monitoring and evaluation systems to track progress toward self-sufficiency targets by 2029.
The Bomi Agriculture Program Agenda could serve as a test case for decentralized agricultural planning and its potential to accelerate rural development in post-conflict Liberia. Whether it becomes a model or a missed opportunity will hinge on how effectively intentions are translated into implementation over the next five years.
