May was a busy month for the FED team. Progress was made with training, implementation of activities in the project components, and continuing FED’s operational set-up in the counties and Monrovia.
A variety of trainings occurred throughout the month. Two hundred and seventy peri-urban Farmers (146 male and 124 female) were trained in establishing nurseries and sowing seed in nurseries. A three days Business Management Skills training workshop for SMEs and Producer groups was held in Monrovia from May 24 – 26, 2012. A total of 26 participants (9 female and 17 male) was trained. Moreover, 342 farmers (165 males and 177) from the Doumpa Community Agriculture Project also received training in lowland rice and upland vegetable farming.
AFED consultant, Matthew Curtis, conducted a soil study and analysis in the counties FED works in and developed management plans that would maintain soil organic matter content. These include the use of alley cropping, cover crops, and biochar. Swamp rice sites were evaluated for clay type and depth. An assessment was completed by STTA, Dr. Steven Lawry, DAI Manager for Land Tenure and Property Rights, on how Liberia’s land tenure arrangements might affect adoption by FED partner farmers of new agricultural practices and technologies. Of particular interest was whether or not farmers had sufficient security of tenure to merit investments that generate benefits over the longer-term.
The Market Development Fund and training activities continue to develop and expand. New partners continue to be identified across the value chains and many potential activities are currently being discussed across Components.
The FED IT Department successfully setup two field office in Nimba County. Also, at the Monrovia office, the grounding of a generator and server equipment was successfully completed.
USAID Liberia’s Food and Enterprise Development (FED) Program is being implemented to achieve the following component objectives:
- Component-1: Increase agricultural productivity and profitability, and improve human nutrition;
- Component-2: Stimulate private enterprise growth and investment; and
- Component-3: Build local technical and managerial human resources to sustain and expand the accomplishments achieved under objectives one and two.