June 2012 was a busy month for the FED team, with accomplishments made in the areas of training and the implementation of activities in various project components.
Trains during the Month of June 2012 include the following:
- There was a weekly training at 13 lowland rice demonstration sites in Bond County (213 participants from 8 groups), Nimba County (240 participants from 9 groups), Grand Bassa County (106 participants from 4 groups) and Lofa County (213 participants from 8 groups) with field lay out been completed;
- Three days Business Skills Training Seminar for Liberian Farmer Associations was held in Grand Bassa and Nimba Counties. Both counties had the total of 31 participants. Buchanan, Grand Bassa County had the total of 14 females and 17 males while Ganta, Nimba County had 16 females and 15 males;
- There were also Tube Well trainings conducted in Ganta, Nimba County (1 Supervisor, 5 workers) from Standard Garage and Gbarnga, Bong County (1 Supervisor, 6 workers) from SMART Garage.
- Teachers training workshop brought together 10 teachers from the Booker T. Washington Institute (2 females and 8 males), 42 teachers from Nimba County Community College (9 females and 33 males).
There was a one day MDF training on June 25, 2012 for FED staffs. The training provided an overview of MDF operations, TAMIS, and procurement. This training was facilitated by STTAs Gwen Appel, MDF operations specialist and Jessica Stretz, Portfolio Manager.
A soil testing training for FED and MoA staff is scheduled for July 10-14, 2012.
Matt Curtis, a soil specialist, STTA, worked with a private soil lab partner to arrange soil testing training and to monitor chemical procurement; a soil testing training for FED and MoA staff is scheduled for July 10-14, 2012 and there was a day MDF training on June 25, 2012 for FED staff. The training provided an overview of MDF, TAMIS, and procurement. The training was facilitated by STTAs Gwen Appel, MDF Operations Specialist and Jessica Stretz, Portfolio Manager.
Twenty cassava farmer groups has be selected in Bong, Nimba, Lofa and Grand Bassa county for demonstration of improved planting and improved cassava variety. Twenty-two lead farmers from the farmers associations will attend a training on improved cassava production in Bong Mine, Bong county. These farmers are to return to their associations and train other farmers in close collaboration with the FED extension staff. The training will include Cuttings preparation and handling, nursery preparation for multiplication and mini-setting, nursery management, layout for field planting, soil preparation and field planting.
Doumpa Community Project: Transplanting of lowland rice began on June 21 – 25, 2012; eight of the fifty-six (56) plots have been transplanted with Nerica L19. Transplanting of remaining plots continues. Special mobilization has been launched to speed up the transplanting and by July 11 we hope the entire field will be transplanted.
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.