Seed 4 Liberia project drives agricultural growth in Liberia
LIBERIA – The EU-funded Seed 4 Liberia Project, launched on October 28, 2024, is playing a crucial role in strengthening Liberia’s agricultural sector.
Led by AfricaRice, the project focuses on improving seed production, distribution, and infrastructure for key crops such as rice, cassava, soybean, coffee, and fish.
The initiative aligns with Liberia’s National Agricultural Development Plan (NADP) 2024–2030, which prioritizes food security, economic growth, and rural transformation.
It aims to provide farmers with high-quality seeds and training to help them address challenges related to climate conditions and pests.
By improving seed systems and reducing reliance on imports, the project is expected to boost food production and support sustainable livelihoods for Liberian farmers.
The 13.5-hectare cassava breeder seed garden at the Central Agriculture Research Institute (CARI) is part of this initiative.
The site consists of seven cassava varieties imported from Nigeria by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). With EU support, the project ensures farmers have access to improved, high-yielding cassava cuttings.
Expansion of cassava farming
The Minister of Agriculture, Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah, recently toured the site to evaluate progress on multiplying planting materials for smallholder farmers.
“I am very much impressed about the first step taken to multiply the planting materials. The variety has more starch content and the other with Vitamin E that farmers can grow and sell to earn more money,” he said.
He emphasized the urgency of distributing the cassava cuttings to farmers.
“We expect to get the cassava cuttings to the farmers very soon to get them to plant,” he stated.
In addition to expanding cassava production, the government is facilitating investment in the sector. Dr. Nuetah confirmed that an investor is setting up an industrial cassava processing facility in Margibi County.
“The facility, when completed, will create market opportunities for our smallholder cassava farmers,” he said.
To support this effort, the Ministry is working closely with farmers in cassava-producing areas, helping them establish production units that will supply the processing plant.
“We’re ensuring the provision of mechanized equipment for these production units to allow the farmers to expand production,” Dr. Nuetah added.
The government believes these efforts will lead to increased cassava production and improve the economic well-being of smallholder farmers.
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