Food and Enterprise Development (FED) Activity Highlights for January 1st-15th, 2014
- FED has completed recruiting for the vegetable and goat value chains and is currently signing MoUs with farming groups. Recruiting for rice and cassava farmers is ongoing.
- FED began construction on the rice cluster processing center in Nimba county, and the materials for the rice cluster center in Bong county have arrived to the site. FED opened bids for the processing centers in Lofa and Grand Bassa counties.
- FED prepared the Cassava Value Chain TOT in Gbarnga, Bong County. The first step of rolling out the technological package for FED cassava farmers is preparing extension officers, who will in turn train kuu leaders. The first training will take place on January 18-22.
- FED attended the National Cassava Sector Coordination Committee’s Annual Stakeholder’s Congress (NCSCC) on January 11, 2014 and gave a presentation highlighting the constraints faced by the cassava sector and FED’s intervention in addressing some of these constraints.
- FED completed the entry of indicator data in the Project Indicator Data System IDS and prepared the M&E orientation for the county Extension Officers.
- FED began renovation work on January 14 at the Lofa County Community College. The renovations will first focus on the library.
- FED met with the Grand Bassa Community College provost and agriculture department director to discuss GBCC’s readiness to create a Center of Excellence. As a next step, GBCC is expected to designate 20 acres of land for a student agriculture demonstration site.
- Liberia Agriculture student Woiklee Payee left Liberia to pursue a Master’s degree in Soils Science at Louisiana State University. He plans to return after one year to carry out his research on issues in soil in Liberia that have been identified by FED.
- FED hosted a congressional delegation including USAID Deputy Administrator Chris Holmes and Tony Kalb, head of the WASH Bureau. They visited Liberia to observe and discuss health and agriculture projects with water components. FED accompanied the guests to group rice farm Arise and Shine farm in Bong county as well as the upcoming CARI quarantine facility.