Liberia: VOSIEDA Holds Third Project Steering Committee Meeting in Nimba County

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NIMBA: Volunteers for Sustenable Development in Africa (VOSIEDA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering small-scale farmers in Nimba County, Liberia, to build resilience against the impact of climate change, held its third Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting on August 29, 2024, in Sanniquillie, Nimba County.

The meeting focused on reviewing key points from the previous meeting, discussing the current status of the project’s implementation, conducting a field visit to the beneficiary community of Gbedin, and strategizing the next steps.

The meeting was chaired by Mr. George Mahtia, Agriculture Coordinator for Sanniquillie Mah District, representing the County Agriculture Ministry, which co-chairs the committee. Using parliamentary procedure, Mr. Mahtia called the meeting to order and explained its purpose, emphasizing that the PSC is designed to meet twice a year to review specific work done by the project team, steering committee, and farmers’ groups.

Reporting on behalf of the project team, Mrs. Abigail F. Coker, Project Manager, highlighted that the project, now in its second year, has expanded to new communities.

The project continues to strengthen rural communities’ resilience to climate change, promote sustainable agricultural productivity, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector.

Through its Farmer Field School program, farmers are encouraged to consolidate their farming activities in one location to reduce deforestation and are trained in organic farming methods, such as compost preparation, to discourage the use of chemical fertilizers.

In addition to farming activities, the project has organized enterprises and savings groups for women and youths to increase income and improve livelihoods.

Mrs. Coker also noted challenges such as the high dependency on handouts and the duplication of interventions within communities. She urged the committee and development partners to work together to foster behavioral change among farmers and address the issue of overlapping interventions.

She also announced key upcoming activities, including the completion and dedication of rice and cassava processing facilities, development and registration of farmers’ cooperatives, a farmers’ exchange program, and a climate forum.

Madam Yah Belleh Suah, Gender Coordinator for Nimba County, expressed gratitude to VOSIEDA for keeping the county leadership informed about project activities. She reported that the committee conducted a field visit where they addressed land issues and encouraged local farmers to take ownership of the project, as they stand to benefit greatly from it.

She noted the gender activities of the project as it is increasing unity amongst the men and women. Madam Suah further expressed hope that farmers would continue implementing climate-smart agricultural practices even after the project concludes.

Attendees of the PSC meeting emphasized the importance of all stakeholders coming together to support the government’s agricultural agenda, noting that if this is achieved, Liberia will not face food shortages.

Among the attendees was Mr. Jenkins Flahwor, Program Officer for Environment & Climate Change at the Swedish Embassy in Monrovia, the project’s sponsor. In his remarks, Mr. Flahwor praised VOSIEDA for the impactful role of the PSC, stating, “Having heard the impact of the committee, I’m impressed and will share this experience with other program officers who might want to replicate what we are doing as it sustains impact.”

He also reaffirmed the Embassy’s continued support for efforts to reduce deforestation and create alternative sustainable livelihoods in Liberia.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Farmers’ Representative Rachel Suah thanked VOSIEDA, the Swedish Embassy, and the Government of Liberia for their support, particularly for women farmers who have long suffered from the effects of climate change. She affirmed the community’s commitment to ensuring the project’s success and to adopting sustainable practices, such as increasing farm sizes, applying new techniques, and adding value to crops to transition from subsistence to commercial farming.

The meeting was attended by representatives from the offices of the Superintendent, Development, Agriculture, Ministry of Gender, Environment Protection Agency, Forest Development Agency, Liberia Land Authority, civil society organizations, farmers’ representatives, the Swedish Embassy, and VOSIEDA members of the Project Steering Committee.

In his closing remarks, VOSIEDA Team Lead Timothy Kortu thanked all stakeholders for their contributions and reaffirmed VOSIEDA’s commitment to promoting prosperity, reducing extreme poverty, and strengthening peace and stability in Africa.

With more support, together we can achieve sustainable development,” he concluded.

The PSC provides technical support to the implementation of the project “Building Community Resilience to Climate Impact through Climate-Smart Small-Scale Farming, “a three-year initiative sponsored by the Swedish Embassy in Monrovia.

The project operates in Sanniquillie Mah, Zoe-Geh, Twah River, and Gbehlay-Geh districts and benefits over 2,000 small-scale farmers across three value chains: rice, cassava, and vegetables.

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