Third Quarterly Report: Food and Enterprise Development Program for Liberia (FED)

The program aims to restore the financial self-sufficiency of farmers, particularly youth and women, through agriculture activities that increase agricultural productivity and profitability, improve human nutrition, and stimulate private-enterprise growth and investment. Additionally, the program seeks to build local technical and managerial human resources to sustain and expand the accomplishments achieved under its objectives. The FED program is implemented by three partners: Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI), Winrock International, and International Fertilizer Developmental Center (IFDC), along with Samaritan's Purse and Louisiana University. Activities began in April 2012 in Bong, Nimba, Margibi, Grand Bassa, and Lofa counties, with the identification of farmers' cooperatives and associations in Lofa, Bong, and Nimba. A series of business skills training was conducted, including for Farmer Associations in Gbarnga, Bong County, and a Business Management Skills Training for SMEs in the Cassava Value Chain with the National Cassava Sector at the Royal Hotel in Sinkor, Monrovia. The program's major project areas include Peri Urban Agriculture, Agricultural Productivity and Profitability, and Capacity Building, Business Skills and Management, and Small Medium Enterprise Trainings. FED provides support, creates market linkages, and offers access to loans for local farmers on the agricultural level, while building local technical and managerial human resources to sustain and expand the accomplishments achieved under its objectives. In the third quarter of 2012, the long-term Enterprise Development Specialist, Mark Nolan, joined the Monrovia FED Team on March 20, 2012. Unfortunately, he passed away on April 5, 2012, due to natural causes. Despite this setback, the program continued to implement its activities, including testing soil water to determine available nutrients in the soil and providing similar training to two of the rainy season vegetable groups. The FED program's activities are focused on increasing agricultural productivity and profitability, improving human nutrition, and stimulating private-enterprise growth and investment. The program's implementation is ongoing, with a focus on building local technical and managerial human resources to sustain and expand its accomplishments. The program's success will depend on its ability to achieve its objectives and make a positive impact on the lives of Liberian farmers and communities.