farmer |
Margama farm is
owned by group of Liberian women under the banner Magarma Farmer Group
who are engaged in the cultivation of local farm products in Liberia
including swam rice, piggery, poultry and vegetables across four of
Liberia's 15 counties; namely Montserrado, Grand Bassa, Bong and Grand
Gedeh Counties.
Speaking at the
official launch of the Magarma Farm rice harvest on Thursday, October
26, the Deputy Country Director of the United Nations World Food Program
(WFP) in Liberia, Asif Bhutto pledged the WFP support to the group and
small farm holders across Liberia to achieve their desired yields.
Mr. Bhutto, on
behalf of the organization donated a rice thresher machine to Magarma
and disclosed that in 2017, the WFP has supported over 6000 local
farmers in ten counties and is committed to lobbying with other partners
for additional support, especially to women and youth farmers.
He lauded the
effort of the women and noted that if their initiative is replicated
across Liberia, there would be sufficient food in the country.
"We look forward to working with the Ministry of Agriculture to take them to another level."
"Farming is a priority and food security is something we need to address.
"The best way we can do that is to prioritize agriculture and give support to small farm holders. We are prepared to do that."
"The ladies have
set a real precedent; and if such results are over the country, there
will be sufficient food in the country," he averred.
Also speaking, the
Director of Community Empowerment at the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA),
Preston Anderson thanked Women for their exceptional work and pledged
the Ministry's continuous support to them.
"Our prayer as in
institution is to see many farmers move rice production in the lowland
areas because lowland rice gives lots of earnings."
"We encourage you
to continue your production. We will always be there to provide you
technical guidance as we did for your group in the past," he pledged.
Giving the
overview, the group leader, Madam Esther King-Lincoln explained the
group was founded in 1997 in Matadi Estate by eight internally displaced
women from Central and South-Eastern Liberia to augment the food ration
given them by humanitarian organizations.
Madam King-Lincoln
furthered that the group has grown into a consortium and in addition to
Montserrado County, they are now operating in Bong, Grand Bassa and
Grand Gedeh Counties on more than 125 acres of land.
"We are involved in
piggery, swam rice farming, market garden of assorted vegetables,
poultry, and the raising of local birds, agricultural skills training,
mainly for students and young women."
"Since our
establishment, we have been able to trained more than 50 women and young
people in various aspects of basic agriculture; some of whom are now
self-employed in Bong, Grand Gedeh, Grand Bassa and Montserrado
Counties," she averred.
She thanked the
Ministry of Agriculture for donating a tiller machine and that enable
them to do their work faster and easier and the World Food program for
their support and called on them continue.
She named lack of
technical training, storage facilities, modern farming equipment,
improved seed and lack of post-harvest processing support as some of the
many constraints they are grappling with.
"Through the help
of the Ministry of Agriculture, we are able to complete six acres of
land because they gave us a power tiller for the first time."
"Before we were planting rice but it was like one or two lots, and it was very distressing."
"Birds will eat 70
percent of the rice. So through the help of Minister Wiles (Minister of
Agriculture), we were able to get a power tiller that till the soil and
do our work faster. We could not believe it. It was so magical."
"The support of the
MOA was backed by the WFP through its Food for Work program; but after
three rations we heard that it was cut off."
"Please bring it
back. We want to extend this appreciation to WFP and MOA for taking us
from two lots to six acres in rice production," the Magarma Farmer Group
Leader intoned.
No comments:
Post a Comment