Helping rural family farms in Sierra Leone earn income
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- Relevant Data
- Region 🇸🇱 Sierra Leone
- Sector 🥬 Agriculture
- Farms enrolled 30
Context
Sierra Leone ranks 184 out of 193 countries on the Human Development Index, with two-thirds of its population living below the poverty line. The country's social and economic structure, already weakened by a decade-long conflict, was further devastated by the 2019 pandemic and compounded by soaring interest rates in 2021-2022.
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Solution
A long-term agriculture project in collaboration with rural farming communities in Marampa will be implemented over several months, encompassing three phases:
Phase 1: Working directly with the 30 farms, Mohammed, an agriculture officer will supply seeds and tools to increase the farmers' yields and diversify their crops. Each farmer can choose what they need. Mohammed will spend his time embedded in the communities, supporting each farm, providing tailored advice and support and encouraging sustainable farming practices. All the communities supported in this pilot will work cooperatively, allowing for shared labour for planting and harvesting.
Phase 3: We will fund the provision of materials to establish or refurbish community seed banks. The farms that received the initial yield booster and crop diversification will harvest and store the seeds for the next planting cycle. Other community members can use the storage space and trade their seeds,
Impact
The project will directly benefit farmers. The initial crop diversification and yield booster focuses on 30 farms, and then the compost and seed bank elements benefit the wider community.
By transitioning from subsistence farming to trading at regional markets, farmers will achieve stable and reliable incomes. This will raise living standards, allowing families to afford adequate nutrition, education, and healthcare.
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Updates
From the field
Field Monitoring in Mapoli Community
Posted 24 Feb 2025
Here are photos of my field monitoring day in the Mapoli community.
Field Monitoring Visit to the Makel & Rochain communities
Posted 21 Feb 2025
Here are photos from my field monitoring at Makel and Rochain communities.
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Farmer Mamasu begins prepping land for mixed farming
Posted 19 Feb 2025
Here’s Mamasu, one of the farmers in the agricultural program:
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Once the land is prepared, she will begin mix farming with rice being the main farm crop.
First crops emerge at Makel Village farm
Posted 2 Jan 2025
We have our first signs of food growing in one of the farms in Makel Village - Cucumber!
First field monitoring visit completed across project farms
Posted 9 Dec 2024
Last week, I visited all the farms to check on the crop's progress and do field monitoring.
First harvest of nutrient dense potatoes underway
Posted 3 Dec 2024
I visited Aishatu's farm today, where she's growing improved varieties of potato with denser nutrition for the first time. The crops are developing well according to plan.
First potato sprouts emerge
Posted 15 Nov 2024
The first crops are beginning to sprout ... potatoes!
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Seed distribution faces transport setback
Posted 30 Oct 2024
We're on day two of the seed distribution. Unfortunately, we've hit a roadblock as the transport vehicle got stuck whilst transporting the seed crops. We're working to resolve this issue and resume distribution as quickly as possible.
Seed crops distribution begins
Posted 29 Oct 2024
We started distributing seed crops today and aim to finish by tomorrow to ensure all partner farmers receive them on time. I’ve attached photographs of the day, including some of the partner farmers.
Community visits and beneficiary selection completed in Kalangba
Posted 26 Oct 2024
I'm happy to inform you all that I concluded the community visits and beneficiary selection yesterday.
Today, I'm in the field doing registrations and engaging the farms in land preparation, starting first in the Kalangba community.
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Programme expansion includes presentations to Kalangba and Mafera villages
Posted 21 Oct 2024
We've extended the presentations, mapping, and scope to include more communities and have since visited and walked them through the programme. The communities were Kalangba village and Mafera village.
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Team completes final community visits to Maronko and Mabai villages
Posted 12 Oct 2024
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The team concluded the final community visits by Friday, visiting two communities: the Maronko village and the Mabai village. Photographs and field artifacts from these visits are attached.
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Team visits Makindo and Rothana communities during field movement
Posted 10 Oct 2024
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On day 3 of the field movement, the team visited the Makindo and Rothana communities.
Community Outreach Continues in Makel Village
Posted 8 Oct 2024
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Community engagement activities launched in Masokoh village
Posted 7 Oct 2024
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Activities included:
Sitting down with community stakeholders
Mapping of the farmland
Baseline surveys
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