Liberia

Country Profile

Liberia

Population

million

Poverty

percent

84% of the population lives on less than $1.25 per day

GDP

percent

Agriculture accounts for 61% of GDP

Underweight

percent

15 to 20% of children under 5 are underweight

Stunting

percent

39 to 42% of children under 5 suffer from stunting

Context
Strategy

Liberia still relies heavily on food imports to meet domestic requirements

Decades of mismanagement and 14 years of civil war virtually destroyed Liberia‘s economy. The years of war devastated Liberia's human and institutional capacity, demolished the country's physical infrastructure, and fundamentally damaged productive agriculture. Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) declined by almost 66 percent between 1987 and 2005. Liberia continues to be one of the world‘s poorest countries, ranked 182 out of 187 countries in the 2011 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Index.

Depending on source and definition, between 64 and 95 percent of the population live in poverty. Food

Liberia still relies heavily on food imports to meet domestic requirements

Depending on source and definition, between 64 and 95 percent of the population live in poverty. Food insecurity is widespread, with children especially vulnerable. Recent findings indicate 39 to 42 percent of children under five are stunted, while 15 to 20 percent are underweight. Poor nutritional options in terms of available foodstuffs and a lack of positive nutritional behaviors to enhance dietary diversity are among the factors underlying food insecurity. This is further exacerbated by diarrheal disease from unsafe water supplies and lack of sanitation and hygiene. Liberia still relies heavily on food imports to meet domestic requirements of staples, vegetables, pulses, chicken, meat, and condiments.

Agriculture productivity is very low, with upland rice yields averaging just over one metric ton per hectare. Additionally, post-harvest losses are exceptionally high, reaching up to 45 percent in some areas, and value chains are severely underdeveloped. The country's forests, soils and water resources require more effective sustainable management practices to improve agricultural productivity and increase resiliency in the face of climate change. Notwithstanding these significant constraints, agriculture remains the mainstay of Liberian economic activity and a focus of development efforts.

Agriculture has accounted for approximately half of GDP in the post-war period, and the majority of Liberians depend on agriculture for their livelihood. As part of the wider reconstruction efforts and in response to the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), the Government of Liberia's cross-sector national Food Security and Nutrition Strategy (FSNS) and a Country Investment Plan were approved in September 2010. In support of this plan, the government has committed to increasing its budget share for agriculture from the current level of approximately three percent to 10 percent over the next five years.

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Liberia FY2010 Implementation Plan

Liberia Strategic Review

Liberia Multi-Year Strategy

Over the next five years in Liberia, Feed the Future aims to help an estimated 332,000 vulnerable Liberian women, children and family members—mostly smallholder farmers—escape hunger and poverty. More than 96,000 children will be reached with services to improve their nutrition and prevent stunting and child mortality. Significant numbers of additional rural populations will achieve improved income and nutritional status from strategic policy engagement and institutional investments.

To meet its objectives, Feed the Future Liberia is making core investments in three key areas:

1. Transforming Staples’ Value Chains

Rice and

Liberia FY2010 Implementation Plan

Liberia Strategic Review

Liberia Multi-Year Strategy

To meet its objectives, Feed the Future Liberia is making core investments in three key areas:

1. Transforming Staples’ Value Chains

Rice and Cassava seed/plant material production and dissemination
Technical assistance through public and private extension
Start-up finance for processing equipment, storage facilities, and transport
Contracting support and market linkages

2. Developing Income and Diet Diversification Value Chains

Vegetable horticulture

Development of private sector extension services
Start-up finance of lead traders/lead farmers for transport, storage and other equipment
Capacity building of women and men lead traders/farmers in production, contracting support, and market linkages

Goat husbandry

Training for public and private animal health care workers
Development of animal health care system
Establishment of breeding programs
Creation of business opportunities for privately-operated slaughterhouses

Advancing the Enabling Environment

Agriculture policy, advocacy, support and research
Development and coordination of public and private extension interventions
Private sector market structure and development

Target Regions

The Feed the Future Strategy is focusing on counties with the highest populations, the most farmers, the largest numbers living in poverty, and the greatest potential for agriculture development: Bong, Lofa, Nimba, Grand Bassa, Montserrado, and Margibi. These counties are located along Liberia’s main economic development corridors and collectively include around 75 percent of all Liberian households. Nutrition activities are focused in Bong, Lofa and Nimba counties.

Highlights

Food and Enterprise Development. The recently awarded Food and Enterprise Development project will increase agriculture productivity and profitability in key value chains, stimulate private enterprise growth and investment, and build local technical and managerial human resources to sustain and expand accomplishments. Special emphasis will focus on women food producers and micro-entrepreneurs as key actors in the sector.

Liberia Agriculture Upgrading, Nutrition, and Child Health Program. Feed the Future will also support Liberia Agriculture Upgrading, Nutrition, and Child Health (LAUNCH), the five-year Food for Peace Multi-Year Assistance Program working in Bong and Nimba counties. It will directly complement Food and Enterprise Development to improve smallholder production and post-harvest practices, integrate cash crops, and address the constraints along the value chains to accessing inputs, financial services and markets, while small-scale rehabilitation of farm-to-market roads and bridges will increase access to markets and services. LAUNCH activities will also include health and nutrition interventions linking vulnerable households to community services, building capacity of health facility staff and community health volunteers, and conducting a supplementary food distribution program for pregnant or lactating mother and children under the age of two.

Excellence in Higher Education for Liberian Development. The five-year Excellence in Higher Education for Liberian Development program focuses on developing Liberian women and men for professional careers in agriculture and engineering in two institutions of higher education located in two of the Feed the Future focus counties

Rural Infrastructure in Support of Enterprise Program. Currently under development, Rural Infrastructure in Support of Enterprise will be a four-year program that aims to support the infrastructure needs of selected value chains within focus countries, along with education programs directed at building capacity in core areas of agriculture, engineering, health sciences, and forestry.

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