IPNews-Monrovia,Liberia-24 February 2018:The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture has opened a capacity building exercise for smallholder vegetable and poultry farmers.
According to a release from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the training is geared toward enhancing social cohesion and improves the productivity of valuable vegetable.
Approximately 40 farmers, mostly women and youth from across two counties, Montserrado and Margibi are obtaining knowledge and skills in Farmer Field School (FFS) methodology, concept and principles.
The release further states that when this knowledge is acquired, it will enable farmers to regularly meet and discuss common problems affecting their farms and also conduct practical experiments to mitigate and enhance productivity.
Speaking during the opening of the training in Kakata, Margibi County, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Programme Support, Jesse Yuan urged participants to take ownership of the project which will ensure access and availability of local chicken, fresh eggs and vegetables in the counties and the surroundings.
He added that Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) through the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) designed the initiative mainly to empower vulnerable women and youth farmers in vegetable and poultry production along the value chains.
Explaining the sustainability of projects after the donor and partners departure, Mr. Yuan said the limited access of farmers to quality extension services are among several challenges the farmers had encountered over the years; this had led to the failure of many interventions to impact the direct and indirect beneficiaries.
“To mitigate some of the challenges especially that of the extension services, FAO through it Technical Cooperation support is currently engaged with the MOA for the formulation of a project aimed at strengthening the capacity of the extension services,” the release said.
Mr. Yuan said the experience farmers gain through FFS allow them to increase yields and income through sustainable ways, adding “this process also help farmers to improve their analytical decision-making and communication skills.”
He mentioned that the FFS is characterized by regular observation of the current crop, animal, fishery or forestry throughout a cropping or reproductive cycle; evaluation and introduction of more sustainable production practices (including pre and post-harvest and storage operation) building on local knowledge as well as testing and adapting new practices to the local context.
It may be recalled in 2016, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) provided over US$400,000 to support the Ministry of Agriculture for the project “Support to sustainable production and marketing of vegetable and poultry for Urban/Peri-urban women.”
The intervention seeks to provide valuable vegetables and address the issues of storage and simple irrigation that impede maximum profit making for vegetable growers during the dry season in Liberia. Meanwhile, the training runs from the 20th of February to the 3rd of March this year.
