Activity Highlights for August 1st-15th, 2015: Food and Enterprise Development (FED) Program

Activity highlights for August 1st-15th, 2015, demonstrate the program's progress in achieving its objectives. On August 4th and 5th, 2015, USAID FED supported Zeelie Farmers Association in Lofa County in selling a total of 5,879.72kg of paddy rice to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA). This sale represents a significant milestone in the program's efforts to increase agricultural production and market access for Liberian farmers. Training of Lead Farmers across various value chains was another key activity during this period. On August 11, 2015, a total of 57 Lead Farmers from the clusters in Gbehlay-Geh, Sanniquellie-Mah, and Bain-Gar district, Nimba County, were trained in nutrition-based lesson plans. The training aimed to equip these farmers with the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct interactive nutrition education sessions with their respective farming groups. A total of 1,170 copies of the nutrition flyer were distributed to the Lead Farmers for dissemination to group members. The program also made significant progress in its efforts to improve agricultural practices and policies in Liberia. On August 13, 2015, USAID FED's Behavior Change Communication Specialist presented findings from the barrier analysis survey conducted to USAID Liberia, LAUNCH, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHWS), and local LNGO, Breastfeeding Advocacy Group (BAG-LNGO). The presentation highlighted the need for integrating nutrition into agriculture activities to improve dietary diversity in Nimba County. In addition, USAID FED collected 20 soil samples from a vegetable site in Montserrado for analysis. This pilot program aims to provide farmers with accurate soil information, enabling them to make informed decisions about crop selection and fertilizer application. The program will roll out to the USAID Centers of Excellence (CoE) when the soil laboratories are operational in September 2015. The program also made progress in developing policies and regulations to support agricultural development in Liberia. USAID FED's International Seed Policy Consultant submitted the final draft document of the Liberia Seed Regulation to USAID FED, which was subsequently submitted to the Office of the Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture for review and approval. The program has also agreed to hire an International Pesticide Policy Expert to support the drafting of the Liberia Pesticide Regulation. Furthermore, USAID FED has commenced discussions with the West Africa Fertilizer Program (WAFP) to collaborate on the "domestication" of the ECOWAS Fertilizer Regulation and the development of the fertilizer industry in Liberia. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been drafted by WAFP and is currently being reviewed by USAID FED.