Africa-Press – Liberia. The Union of Southeastern Farmers Federation (USEFF), an organization comprising farmers within Sinoe, Grand Kru, Maryland, River Gee and Grand Gedeh Counties are expected to provide support to more that 2000 smallholder farmers in the region.
This initiative as announced recently by the organization when implemented will give hope to the farmers who have struggled over the years to improve in farming, amidst government pronouncement of agriculture being a priority to improve the livelihood of rural citizens.
Speaking at his first engagement meeting with farmers in Juarzon, Sinoe County, the lead organizer of the initiative, Isaiah B Dapaye noted that his team is currently carrying on what he termed as “awareness, sensitization and recruitment” of farmers across the county and they will subsequently move to the other counties; citing that his team is expected to complete this exercise across the region in the third week
in December 2024 and travel to Monrovia with the accumulated data reports on farmers in the region where they will meet and share information with relevant stakeholders and actors including government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, development partners and the business communities (banks and potential investors) to rally support for the initiative.
According to Dapaye, the USEFF Initiative is a regional movement aim to supporting the Liberian Government’s ARREST Agenda but said, his initiative focus their concentration is on agriculture, and with the purpose of empowering local farmers to contribute to the country food security and sufficiency thou allowing locals to be self-reliance.
According to the Steering Committee Chair of the USEFF Movement, Dapaye, farmers in the five counties will be placed in various categories according to the kind of crops each farmer is producing in a particular community and his or her is farming, making it easier for project achievement in said community.
Dapaye further noted that USEFF has four sources of funding including the members themselves through their registration fees, the Government of Liberia, the business communities which are banking institutions and investors and international partners or donors.
According to him, these sources will be reached through a developed project proposal and business plans that would attract attention for support.
He said, with the ongoing recruitment process, his team has been able to recruit over one thousand farmers both in Sinoe and Grand Kru Counties with the collection of data on each farmers and they are prepared to end up with Maryland, Rive Gee and Grand Gedeh Counties before mid December 2024.
Dapaye however said that the work his team is doing will be needed by national government and international partners who will want accurate data on farmers in these counties; adding that his team is using it meager resources to reach high to reach places because they want to establish reality about farmers in their communities.
The USEFF Team Lead uses the medium to underscore the need for a close collaboration between counties coordinators and extension officers assigned in these counties; citing that working together in such collaboration, will be a tool for the government to achieve its ARREST Agenda in the agriculture sector.
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