Document Type: Briefs

Between July 1-15 FED has intensified support to farmers as production season for FED’s crop-based value chains picks up across the six counties of operation; Bong, Lofa, Nimba, Grand Bassa, Margibi and Montserrado.

This reporting period saw a lot of activity in the promotion of the role of Liberia’s youth in FED activities. Various MoUs were signed and progressed between FED and Community Colleges, UNICEF and AYP.E Involving youth and building their capacity is something that is integral to the FED program.

Progress is being made towards developing input supply pilot voucher program; six co-operatives representing over 1000 farmers will be participating in the voucher program which aims to encourage use of inputs through partial subsidy.

On 4th July an MoU was signed with Ag-Input dealer Wienco, this new public-private-partnership will help to significantly increase FED beneficiaries access to ag-inputs As dealers are established close to FED-supported farming communities. Through this agreement, USAID’s FED is leveraging private sector resources as Weinco will be putting in up to $5200 worth of stocks consisting of fertilizers and pesticides on consignment to each of the 15 dealers.

Significant progress was made this reporting period towards forging long-lasting links between farmers, aggregators and large-scale food caterers in Liberia. Between July 1-15 meetings were also held with key stakeholders such as those involved with ArcelorMittal mining company and the chief caterer for UNMIL. These activities were carried out in collaboration with USAID’s Sustainable Marketplace Inititative-Liberia (SMI-L).

An Interactive Radio Training for 28 Liberian radio journalists (6 female, 28 male) from 14 county radio stations was completed on July 4, in Gbarnga, Bong County. This activity is designed to utilize radio as a medium for carrying out extension messaging in order to communicate recommended technologies and practices to the broadest section of farmers involved in FED’s value chains. As part of the training, the journalists developed six-month action plans for developing and producing radio programing with agriculture content. Fourteen MOUs have been signed with the radio stations for future collaboration and four of the radio stations have already aired programs as a result of the training. Fourteen MOUs have also been signed with the radio stations for future collaboration and four of the radio stations have already aired programs as a result of the training.

Food and Enterprise Development (FED) Activity Highlights for August 1st-15th, 2013

During the first two weeks in August the FED program saw the beginnings of promising harvests in both the PUA and cassava value chains. Throughout both upland and lowland rice sites work has intensified with canal, plots and bund construction ongoing and widespread seed transplanting taking place throughout FED’s six counties of operation, Margibi, Montserrado, Bong, Lofa, Nimba and Grand Bassa.

6 Goat feeders have been distributed this month to lead farmer sites throughout FED’s counties of operation and 178 goats were treated and dewormed this period. 18 participants were trained in the advantages of mineral salt lick usage at their sites.

At 30 PUA sites layouts have been taking place and planting of corn, peanuts and beans is underway.

Work on preparations for the input supply pilot voucher program is ongoing and is scheduled to roll out next month across Nimba and Lofa.

On August 2, FED was informed by United States African Development Agency (USADF) that they are awarding grants to four beneficiaries in cassava processing due to FED’s assistance. Estimated grant amounts are $50K USD each ($200K USD Total). This was a culmination of activities organized by FED to support the development of cassava processors to supply the HANDS project with gari.

Between August 1-15, FED along with Grand Bassa Community College (GBCC) and USAID’s Advancing Youth Project (AYP) 12 GBCC students learnt crucial leadership skills.

Food and Enterprise Development (FED) Activity Highlights for November 1st–15th, 2013

• FED farmers and staff focused time and energy on harvesting rice and making estimated yield measurements in Bong, Nimba and Lofa counties.
• FED partnered with the Fuamah Cooperative in Bong County and provided guests like US Ambassador Deborah Malac firsthand experience of the rice harvest and the methodology behind Urea Deep Placement (UDP) pilot fertilization.
• FED assisted in mobilizing another 21,000 LD in loans from local MFI Liberia Entrepreneurial & Asset Development (LEAD) for its vegetable farmers in Nimba county.
• Recruitment for FY14 farmers is progressing in all counties across all value chains.

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.

Food and Enterprise Development (FED) Activity Highlights for February 1st-15th, 2014

• FED held a Trader Support Forum February 6-7 at the Red Light Market to facilitate market arrangements between farmers and traders. Thirty traders and 28 farmers drafted what they wanted to appear in forthcoming MoUs. Farmers want buyers to purchase their produce at the collection sites, while traders wanted consistency in supply.
• FED signed a MOU with USAID Liberia Energy Sector Support Project (LESSP) to jointly assist the adoption of renewable energy electricity generators to power the first industrial rice processing in Liberia. Fabrar Inc. expects to start milling locally grown rice by mid-2014 and will be sourcing a large portion of its grain rice to feed the mill from FED’s beneficiaries. The partnership highlights FED and LESSP’s aim to implement sustainable programs in Liberia’s agriculture and energy sectors.
• FED accompanied officials from USDA to the CARI Livestock Quarantine Facility to discuss the course of action for partner Land O’Lakes’ goat importation activity. As a result of the visit, CARI and Land O’Lakes made commitments to sign a MoU, and FED was requested to assist in formulating the nutrition for the goats while in quarantine.
• FED hosted a second Policy Dialogue in which Rice Policy Expert, Dr. Eric Wailes, contended that with the right incentives and policy environment it is possible for Liberia to increase rice production and prevent its self-sufficiency rating from declining as a result of pressure from increasing rate of consumption.
• FED conducted voucher training in Kakata on February 14. Twenty lead farmers and eight agro-dealers participated in the exercise which raised awareness about the voucher program. The program will benefit 350 vegetable farmers. Voucher distribution begins March 13 and will continue until March 30, 2014.
• FED developed a framework to track the progress of the agriculture demonstration plots at each Center of Excellence. This tool will facilitate discussion at the Strategic Business Planning workshop on February 27-28, 2014. Management representatives from the Booker Washington Institute and the three community colleges that FED is assisting will participate in the workshop.
• FED completed the Terms of Reference to design a National Business Development and Advisory Center. The facility will be based in Monrovia and run in collaboration with the Liberia Investing in Business Expansion (IBEX) Program.
• FED conducted a road mapping exercise of FED project locations. FED is working with the USAID Road Project to map farm to market roads in the areas where FED has activities.
• FED signed contracts for 23 sawyers in Nimba County. The sawyers will work in the selected communities to produce the wood used to build the shelters for FY14 goat farmers.
• FED’s 20 vegetable groups began constructing stands for the drip irrigation kits to be used in their vegetable farming activities.
• FED facilitated Rice Value Chain Extension Training “Rice Production and Best Field Practices” in Gbarnga, Bong county. A total of 37 lead farmers and 15 NGOs working with FED learned improved rice growing methods and technologies.
• FED collected baseline information on two existing cassava processing plants and two cassava cutting sites/nurseries to determine their eligibility for inclusion in the FED FY14 Cassava Value Chain strategy.
• FED selected four community radio stations as partners for FY14. The radio stations will participate in the Stakeholder Roundtable Meeting on Spreading Agriculture Messages through Radio in March 2014.

Food and Enterprise Development (FED) Activity Highlights for March 1st-15th, 2014

• FED visited Nimba, Bong and Margibi counties to collect video footage for a documentary on FED’s rice activities in the counties. The FED rice video will be screened at the upcoming MoCI conference in April. All the different phases of construction of rice processing centers across Nimba County were adequately captured and the video is currently in post-production.
• FED accompanied USAID and U.S. Department of State officials to FED sites in Montserrado, Margibi and Bong counties to meet vegetable ad rice farmers. The delegation visited the Mawah Farmer’s Association in Montserrado County, Horton Farm and Francis Lewis PUA clusters in Margibi County. The team also visited Garmue #1 and #2, Tohlo Women and Welekermah cassava groups in Bong County and the Livestock Quarantine Facility at CARI.
• FED and PUA farmers finalized the purchase of motorized water pumps for eight PUA clusters in Montserrado and Margibi counties. The FED-subsidized pumps were delivered to the farmers as a solution to address irrigation problems in the dry season.
• LEAD has agreed to provide an emergency loan worth $162.50 USD for each of four FED vegetable clusters in Margibi county. The loans will be used to purchase motorized water pumps. FED shares 50 percent of the cost of the pumps according to an MoU signed earlier this year.
• Two FED PUA clusters in Margibi and Nimba counties struck deals with large buyers. The Francis Lewis cluster in Margibi started trading with the Marketing Association while the Nimba-based Yekepa cluster sold vegetables to Liberian catering firm, ROSNA.
• FED completed the PUA voucher registration, and voucher redemption begins March 19.
• FED’s individual vegetable farmer association, United Farmers Association (UFA), made their first loan payment totaling LD $104,000 ($1,300 USD) to the Liberia Entrepreneurial & Asset Development (LEAD). UFA members used the loan proceeds to purchase inputs and labor to expand their farms to grow cucumber, cabbage, bitter-ball and pepper. UFA and the other groups with LEAD loans have until the end of April to repay their outstanding loan balances.
• FED received approval from the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) to hire a legal consultant to draft the rice seed certification and crop protection legislation for ratification by the National Legislature. FED will hire the consultant in April.
• FED held Goat Production and Herd Management Training of Trainers (ToT) workshops for lead farmers in Lofa and Nimba counties. Lead farmers learned proper record keeping methods, goat production methods and disease prevention and control methods. Nineteen (17 males, 2 females) farmers participated in the training in Lofa, and 27 (22 males and 5 females) participants attended the training in Nimba County.
• FED integrated essential nutrition messages into the Rice Production Best Practices and Goat Production and Herd Management ToT workshops for a total of 108 participants.
• FED finished the development of its seed certification training manual. International Seed Consultant, Josiah Wobil, developed the manual and made field visits to Bong County where he toured breeder and certified seed farms, seed processing/storage facilities. The training manual will be used to train rice seed inspectors.
• FED visited seven seed companies to assess their ability to provide seed for FED’s rice seed multiplication program. FED will choose two companies to provide high quality, locally grown seeds for Liberian farmers. FED will make the selection in March.
• At the Nimba Community College Center of Excellence in Agriculture, FED delivered and set-up the following equipment: 13 desktop and four laptop computers, 13 central processing units (CPU), 13 uninterrupted power supply units (UPS) and one scanner. FED’s IT Department set up the equipment.

Food and Enterprise Development (FED) Activity Highlights for June 1st-15th, 2014

• A USAID FED-assisted school garden was highlighted during the dedication ceremony of the C.B Harris Memorial Primary School in Montserrado County. The Minister of Education urged all school administrations to establish school gardens to teach children about agriculture.
• USAID FED carried out a two-day training session for 28 participants (27 male, 1 female) on soil sample collection and analysis techniques. In attendance were USAID FED extension officers, lead farmers and Booker Washington Institute, Nimba College Community College, and Cuttington University students.
• USAID FED completed two goat value chain jingles. The jingles highlight the positive aspects of keeping goats in shelters. The jingles will be aired on USAID FED supported community radio stations.
• USAID FED trained 36 Community Animal Health Workers (CAHW) in Nimba County how to diagnose and treat common diseases in goats. The participants also learned how to prevent and control the spread of diseases such as diarrhea and internal and external parasites. The participants, who were all women, received cool boxes for storing drugs.
• USAID FED continued its “Leadership and Incubation for Women Entrepreneurs” program with a two-day training workshop for 46 women in Nimba and Grand Bassa counties. To date, 109 women have participated in Phase 1 of the program. The program provides leadership training and mentorship opportunities for potential women leaders and managers from the four value chains and vocational institutions in all six operational counties.

Food and Enterprise Development (FED) Activity Highlights for November 1st-15th, 2014

• USAID FED supported rice processor, FABAR Rice Liberia, identified 3 aggregators in Lofa County to purchase paddy rice from USAID FED supported rice farmers. USAID FED established aggregation points in Foya, Voinjama and Kolahun Districts in Lofa County to facilitate the exercise.
• USAID FED documented rice harvests which benefitted from UDP technology application in Lofa County. USAID FED captured footage of the Kobake Farmers Association, Agriculture Infrastructures Investment Corporation, Rice and Food Crops Farmer Union, Mayor Farmer Association and Bayer Farmer Association groups harvesting rice from UDP technology applied fields (Figure 1). The video footage is the final collection of material for a video documentary on UDP technology. USAID FED already has footage on the application and growth of rice on UDP applied fields.
• USAID FED identified and recruited 400 youth (271 male, 169 female) to participate in the FY15 agri-business pilots. Each of these youth is expected to cultivate a minimum of 0.2 ha under vegetable production.
• USAID FED procured carpentry tool kits for the 16 carpentry apprentices in Bong, Nimba, Lofa and Grand Bassa counties. USAID FED will present the assorted tools comprising hard hats, safety googles, working gloves, note pad, pencils, black pens, tool box, tape measures, hammers, putty knives and tool bags and other materials to the apprentices on November 25, 2014. The youth are expected to use the tools to provide goat shelter and feeder construction services in their communities after a 4 month apprenticeship with a master carpenter.
• USAID FED conducted an Essential Nutrition Actions Training of Trainers (ToT) for 25 (2 male, 23 female) Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) Chairladies and Community Field Officers (CFOs) in Voinjama, Lofa County. Participants received direct nutritional messages and learned about diet  diversification and the importance of proper nutrition for pregnant women and children.
• USAID FED supported group Zoedoar Women’s VSLA group in Nimba County received the National Association of Village Savings and Loan Association (NAPEX) certificate. NAPEX is intended to enhance the delivery of information among member VSLAs in a coordinated fashion, provide the opportunity for feedback on the implementation of activities, and help the Central Bank improve risk management by assisting in loan origination due diligence and the repayment process. All VSLAs wishing to apply for loans through Liberia Entrepreneurial & Asset Development (LEAD) will be required to register with NAPEX.
• The MoA has given its approval for the mass reproduction and distribution of the nutrition poster that USAID FED designed. The poster aims at changing consumption pattern by showing the negative impact to health of the traditional diet that is overly dominated by starch-based food, and showcasing the positive impact of a balanced diet that contains more meat, fish, vegetables and fruits. FED will be producing 2000 copies of this poster.

Food and Enterprise Development (FED) Activity Highlights for December 1st-15th, 2015

• On December the 1st the President of Liberia signed into law Executive Order #73 drafted and supported by USAID FED. This Executive Order supports the temporary removal of customs tariffs on essential inputs for agricultural value-chains. It builds on the successful implementation of Executive Orders #30 & #64 which removed import tariffs on 24 categories of inputs used by domestic agriculture. This effort was supported by USAID FED after the working group decided that Executive Order #64 was not adequate in its implementation to significantly help small holder farmers import agricultural inputs and needed to be revamped. For Executive Order # 64 to be effective, a greater focus on agriculture and not on encouraging logging activities was considered necessary. USAID FED subsequently produced a more precise executive order that identifies specific tariffs to be removed according to the ECOWAS harmonized tax code.
• On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 USAID FED Science Laboratory trainer consultant, Mr. Emmnauel Lincoln began a four-day training at Booker Washington Institute and Grand Bassa Community College. Participants of the training comprised one senior lab technician, one soil science instructor and an assistant lab technician at each of the institutions. The objective of the training is to work with the soil science lab technicians at the four CoEs (BWI, GBCC, LCCC and NCCC) to help strengthen their capacity in both laboratory and field settings.
• On November 8 – 9, 2015, a two day Goat Management Training was conducted by USAID FED Goat Specialist Morris Karnuah at LCCC Goat Shelter/Demonstration site. The training strengthened the capacity of LCCC farm technicians to administer basis treatment/first aid to 19 goats in the Shelter. The training targeted four main participants: farm/goat technicians, the farm manager and animal science instructors.
• Several of youth groups harvested African eggplant and cabbage during the reporting period. Koon Koon harvested 130kg of African Eggplant. Because of the hot sun, the crops are declining. Gbajina Town harvested 260kg of African Eggplant and also harvested 90kg of cabbage due to the hot sun there was a low harvest. Paul Napah harvested 15kg of cabbage and also harvested a 22.5kg half bag of eggplant. Mamia Morris harvested 15kg of eggplant and also harvested 10kg of pepper.
• USAID FED and the Central Agricultural Institute signed a MoU for the establishment of a Nucleus Breeding Herd at CARI, Bong County. Under the MoU, USAID FED agrees to the following:
  • Assess the livestock quarantine facility to determine the conversion specifications, material and civil works requirements.
  • Hire a firm to undertake conversion works at the facility, to include procurement of required construction materials as per specifications of the assessment.
  • Provide CARI with technical assistance to develop a nucleus breeding herd manual and to train CARI staff assigned to the facility on the nucleus breeding herd management.

Food and Enterprise Development (FED) Activity Highlights for February 1st-15th, 2015

• Afriland Bank undertook a field assessment of Selma Development Corporation’s operations and investments in order to determine whether this aggregator could qualify for a loan from the bank. USAID FED and IBEX assisted Mr. Selma to prepare and submit the loan application to the bank during early February. The outcome of the assessment is expected during the third week of February. A positive evaluation will enable Mr. Selma to access US$100,000 as trade credit to be used for purchasing of paddy rice from farmers in Lofa County.
• USAID FED partnered with AVRDC -The World Vegetable Center to conduct field trials of vegetable varieties sourced from AVRDC’s research centre in Mali in order to assess for adaptability to local conditions. Seed varieties that grow favorably will be introduced to farmers through seed kits for planting in vegetable gardens in order to address household malnutrition and supplement incomes. AVRDC will be implementing the Deploying Vegetable Seed Kits to Tackle Malnutrition in Liberia project through funding from the Bureau of Food Security in Nimba and Bong Counties. AVRDC has provided USAID FED with 3.2Kg of seeds of five vegetable varieties for these field trials.
• A public private partnership with the Royal Hotel in Monrovia was developed to establish a market link for high value vegetables produced by USAID FED assisted farmers. The Royal Hotel has made an initial order of cabbage after they received samples harvested from the rain shelter production site in Careysburg, Montserrado County.
• ACDI/VOCA’s Farmer to Farmer Program deployed a goat breeding specialist, Dr. Daniel Miller, to Liberia to provide technical assistance to USAID FED goat farmers on community goat breeding. Dr. Miller commenced training of goat farmers in Nimba County. It is expected that the Volunteer Specialist will assist CARI to develop a Nucleus Breeding Herd Management manual. This manual will be used to technically manage the Nucleus Breeding Herd facility that is anticipated to be established in CARI by April 2016.
• LSU’s Dr. Donald Breazeale consulted with community colleges in Bong, Lofa, Nimba and Grand Bassa counties, as well as Booker Washington Institute, on development of business plans for the Centers of Excellence (COEs). Cost benefit analyses were in process for the 12 crops selected for focus: watermelon, hot pepper, cabbage, eggplants, sweet pepper, collard green, carrot, jute, potato green, tomato, radish and peanuts. Dr. Breazeale’s work will conclude in late-February with recommendations for the way forward on further development of these COEs.