Africa-Press – Liberia. The Liberia Rural Women Network for Empowerment (LRWNE), winner of the Best Agriculture Innovator Award at the 2025 National Agriculture Fair, is appealing for increased financial and technical support to scale up honey production across Liberia.
The group earned the top innovation award for presenting the country’s best-packaged honey during the fair, held earlier this year. The recognition highlights the growing contribution of women-led farming initiatives in Liberia’s agricultural sector.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Observer, David Makakpor, Project Officer of LRWNE, said the network has the capacity to increase honey production nationwide, provided they receive the necessary support from partners, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
“We are looking up to our partners, especially the FAO, for a bigger opportunity and market so that we can be able to export honey from Liberia,” Makakpor said.
He explained that the women’s network is involved not only in honey production but also in rice cultivation and snail breeding. While the honey initiative was showcased at the fair, other projects, including snail breeding, are ongoing with support from the FAO’s Farm and Forest Facility (FFF).
According to Makakpor, the network harvested 150 gallons of honey during the last season, but with additional support and the recruitment of new beekeepers, the group anticipates producing between 500 and 700 gallons in the next harvest season.
“As it stands, last year we harvested 150 gallons of honey and with the recruitment of new bee keepers, we are certain of harvesting 500 gallons of honey next harvest season,” he said.
Makakpor emphasized that the network’s honey production aligns with climate-resilient agriculture practices that promote forest protection.
“We in beekeeping are part of the climate-resilient activities which call for the protection of our forests,” he noted.
Currently, about 50 farmers are directly involved in honey production within the network’s value chain of 500 members. Operations are conducted from a mini processing facility in Saclepea, which Makakpor says limits their capacity. He called for investment in a larger processing facility to meet growing demand.
“We need a bigger processing facility because by next honey harvest season, we are expecting to harvest up to 500 – 700 gallons of honey,” he said.
LRWNE’s plea reflects a broader call from many Liberian processors who participated in the fair, advocating for financial empowerment to expand production capacity and increase competitiveness in the national and regional market.
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