Agriculture
A population where people are literally starving is living on top of one of the most valuable resources our Earth has to offer. No… not diamonds, gold, or copper – Fertile soil is what rests beneath the feet of 7.7 Million Sierra Leonean’s.
In 2013, the government of Sierra Leone began to tackle an issue that perplexed many at the time. That issue was weak agricultural infrastructure. In a country where 74% of the total land area is deemed suitable for agriculture (FAO of UN – Sierra Leone), and 75% of the population works in farming… a weak agricultural sector seemed to be an unfathomable concept.
Improving the agricultural sector of the country was one of the key initiatives in the 2013 Agenda for Prosperity (AoP) plan, enacted by the Government of Sierra Leone. The goal of the AoP is to work to build Sierra Leone into a middle-income country by the year 2035.
Researchers determined that the causes of the failing agricultural system in Sierra Leone are over-prevalence of subsistence farming, and lack of diversity in type of crops grown. These problems severely limit the ability for solidified food security, and cash-crop production.
PRHeSS was a small hospital at the start of this initiative. Being that one of the main issues in the Fallay Wujah community is food insecurity, PRHeSS started the agricultural program using government guidelines as a road map for improvement.
PRHeSS still needed to learn more about the root causes of the failing agricultural sector. The sections below go into further detail about what PRHeSS learned from government partners, and the steps taken to combat these issues in the Fallay Wujah community.
Lack of Diversity in Crop Selection
Sierra Leone’s most prominent crop grown and ingested is rice. According to the United Nations African Renewal research page, rice currently accounts for 75% of the country’s agricultural GDP. Having a lack of diversity of crop can lead to serious, health, food security, and economic problems.
In Sierra Leone there is a saying that goes, “A man can eat an entire goat in a sitting, but the meal doesn’t count unless that goat was served with rice.” Although the saying is humorous, the over reliance of rice as a source of nutrition causes serious problems in the population. Rice does not contain enough nutrients to sustain the human body on it’s own. For the 53% of the country that lives on less that $1.23 a day, rice is sometimes the only thing that is consumed during the day. This causes exacerbated rates of malnutrition. About 34% of the population is physically stunted by malnutrition (United Nations, African Renewal). Other crops such as Cassava, Peanuts, Soy, and Palm Oil are more nutrient rich than rice. These crops can be planted at relatively low cost, and effectively supplant rice.
Ever hear the saying, “Don’t put your eggs all in one basket”? Usually, this is a maxim preached by stock market investors. This saying can also be applied to agriculture. Planting too much of one type of crop can cause serious food security issues. Since certain crops only grow under specific weather conditions, uncooperative weather that isn’t conducive to growing rice could completely wipe out food supply for a season. An unsuccessful harvest can create a dire situation for a community heavily reliant on subsistence farming. If farmers can learn to plant different types of crop, harvest yields will be much greater even if weather conditions are volatile. This concept is similar to the principal of diversifying an investment portfolio in preparation for different market conditions.
PRHeSS began introducing new crops to the community. Cassava (“Yuca”, as its called in the Caribbean and parts of South America) was the first crop planted other than rice. Cassava was picked because of its high nutritional value, resilience to volatile weather patterns, and its manifold of production options. Cassava can be fried, boiled, or processed into flour for cooking.
In addition to Cassava, other vegetables and crop types with variability of use were introduced to the community. These crops include Soy, Corn, Palm Oil and Wheat. The diversification of these crops gives the community a healthy variety of food choices to supplement the diet. It also allows for greater opportunity to implement commercial farming tactics.
Over Reliance of Subsistence Farming
The model of subsistence farming, in theory, is great! Families grow enough crops to sustain themselves, at relatively low cost. In reality, subsistence farming rarely works, and is often disrupted by unpredictable weather conditions. When a harvest goes bad, it puts to waste the time and effort that was invested into preparing the crop. That time would have otherwise been used working a job to earn a wage.
The ideal solution would be to have farmers increase the amount of crops they plant and harvest per season. The excess crops could both be stockpiled as a food source, and sold at local markets to allow farmers to earn income from their labor. To achieve this, farmers need to start cultivating more land. Simple enough, right? Well… not really.
According to the FAO of the United Nations Sierra Leone report, 80% of farmers use less than 10% of the fertile soil in the country. This is partially due to inefficient governance and distribution of land. But the far more immediate and addressable cause for the under-utilization of land is the inaccessibility to farming equipment and resources. With an average 4-6 workers at a Sierra Leonean farm (usually consisting of family members), enhanced resources and technology are needed to achieve growth.
PRHeSS introduced commercialized farming tactics to the Fally Wujah area. The government provided the organization a tractor on a lease-to-own plan. Donations were raised to hire a staff of about 12 workers, and also buy materials to implement commercial farming strategies. The equipment allowed PRHeSS farm workers to cultivate crops in an area triple the size of where your typical subsistence farmer would be able to operate. Excess crops are processed and transported for sale at markets, providing income for the farmers that were hired. The remaining income from crop sales goes towards supporting other PRHeSS initiatives.
How you can help now
A long-term goal for PRHeSS is to be able to grow our agricultural program to a point where all community members have the means to contribute to an established local food bank. This stockpile would act as a reserve for dire times, such as a drought. PRHeSS is also working to implement commercial farming tactics for other farmers looking to expand their operations. It is important to establish commercial farming in order to produce more food and stimulate the local economy. Your donations will help us meet these goals.
Please email us at PRHeSS.info@africanhopeanddignity.org to learn more about how you can help keep our community fed. Or donate now.