Africa-Press – Liberia. USAID has officially launched a US$20 million Feed the Future project in Margibi County.
The initiative is part of the United States’ commitment to tackling global hunger, malnutrition, and increased agricultural production on the African continent.
At the launch in Kakata, Acting USAID Mission Director, Rory Donohoe, said the initiative followed after U.S. President Joe Biden unveiled Liberia as a priority country for the Feed the Future initiative last year.
Donohoe said the US$20 million investment will support the Ministry of Agriculture in harnessing productivity and strengthening farmers’ capacities to access finance, among other things.
“It has been a catalyst for change, empowering individuals to overcome the burden of hunger and malnutrition, uplifting their spirits, and nurturing their potential,” he said.
Donohoe added that the U.S. decision is not just meant to harness Liberia’s struggling agricultural sector, but to change the situation — since food insecurity affects nearly half of all — Liberian households.
“It represents the chance to cultivate the foundation of a robust economy, to offer quality health and education services, and to fortify the very systems that underpin a flourishing society,” he added.
At the same time, Agriculture Minister Jeanine Cooper has described the US Feed the Future Initiative as a transformative effort to boost the country’s agricultural sector.
Cooper said the project will have far-reaching impacts on agricultural activities and ensure food security in Liberia.
The Minister added that the project would with farming cooperatives, women, and youth groups to enhance their productivity.
Cooper, however, assured USAID and the project’s implementing partners of the government’s commitment to the full actualization of the project.
RTI International and other key partners, including BRAC, will implement the five-year project, which targets beneficiaries, most of whom are women and youth in Bong, Grand Bassa, Lofa, Margibi, Montserrado, and Nimba Counties.
Liberia is now a priority country of the U.S. Feed the Future Initiative, a flagship program to tackle global hunger and Food Security.
The five-year project seeks to sustainably improve market access and the provision of services that are needed to achieve long-term adoption of climate change-smart agriculture approaches, increase incomes, diversify livelihoods, and market nutritious food.
The project is expected to benefit about 15,000 individuals, with 65% being women.
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