BUUTUO, Nimba County – Fifty-four-year-old Martha Gweh and her three sons stood at the riverbank that helps form Liberia’s border with the Ivory Coast. They stand next to a stockpile of freshly harvested plantains from their farm. They are preparing to cross the river on a ferry to the Ivory Coast to sell their farm produce in neighboring towns.
Report by Rita Jlogbe, with The Liberian Investigator
“We don’t have access to cars to transport our coco, yam, cassava, plantains, and other crops to the market in Sanniquellie or Ganta to sell,” Gweh said.
“Because of that, we end up carrying our goods across to Ivory Coast and the Ivorians will give their own price they want to buy the goods for.”
Before the Liberian civil wars, vehicles from Monrovia could reach here in less than five hours. Now, the once-booming commercial town is nearly cut off from the rest of Liberia due to bad roads.
The residents of the area, the majority of whom rely on agriculture for their livelihood, are compelled to trade agricultural produce in Ivorian markets. But this option undermines Liberia’s food security because farmers here cannot sell their crops in the country.
According to a 2022 Food Security, Nutrition, Livelihoods, and Markets Assessment study carried out by the World Food Program (WFP), 70 percent of Liberia’s 5.5 million population is engaged in agricultural activities.
Nonetheless, 2.2 million Liberians, constituting 47 percent of all households, experience food insecurity, with 39 percent facing moderate food insecurity and 8 percent grappling with severe food insecurity. Highlighting that approximately 416,000 individuals are in urgent need of food assistance.
The study found limited application of modern technology, including, modern cultivation methods or machinery, inadequate storage facilities, and lack of access to market as some of the factors contributing to food insecurity in the country.
The situation in Buutuo evinces a lack of access to markets. This is evident by the challenges farmers in this part of Nimba County are enduring.
In District #3, nearest to the East Nimba Nature Reserve, lies Zorgeipa, the final settlement leading to the reserve. In contrast to Buutou, Zorgeipa, is estimated to have a population of approximately 2,000 people, according to the town chief. Residents grow, harvest, and sell their farm produce amongst themselves.
The distance from the town to the main highway where vehicles are accessed is about 50 miles away or 17 hours walk. Agricultural produce is in abundance here but a significant portion reportedly perished due to the absence of good farm-to-market roads.
Prince Michael,24, sits on the floor barefooted as he fries a stockpile of plantain harvested from his farm into chips.
“This is the only way we can benefit from the crops we plant because no way to take it to the market,” said the father of four. “The place is far and no good road for cars to come in to transport our goods to the market.”
Like Micheal, many farmers here are discouraged about continuing farming due to lack of access to markets.
Jerry Saye, the youth chairperson of Zorgeipa town, has abandoned farming over concerns that he’s not reaping the full benefits of hard labor.
“I alone, when I make farm, my farm produce(s) plantain, eddo, cucumber, rice but this year, I didn’t make farm because this bad road condition is really frustrating our effort,” a disappointed Jerry said.
Next to Lofa County, Nimba County is regarded as a “breadbasket” of Liberia, owing to its substantial production of food and cash crops, including rice, cassava, vegetables, plantain, yam, eddoes, and rubber, among others.
However, farmers like Saye claim that the county is losing its reputation for farming. Unless the challenges hindering access to markets are resolved, the county will not live up to its full potential, farmers here argued.
Nimba County has the potential to significantly enhance food security in Liberia, thereby reducing the dependency on imported food, Saye said.
The challenges faced by the residents of Zorgeipa and Buutou towns represent a mere fraction of the hardship endured by farmers in rural communities across Liberia.
In addition to limited modern tools, or financial resources to support the efforts of small farmers in Liberia, poor farm-to-market roads is a major problem.
Ma-Yei Zuulu, 56, a mother of 12, says the government’s intervention is crucial. “We want the government (to) connect our roads and fix our bridges because when the road is good, we will be encouraged to keep making farm,” she said.
The female farmer expressed her support for the current administration in Liberia due to its strong focus on agriculture during the 2023 presidential campaign, calling on President Joseph Boakai to prioritize advancing sector.
Aside from campaigning on a promise to enhance the agricultural sector, agriculture stands as the first pillar of the Boakai-led administration’s ARREST Agenda – which also includes Road Development, Rule of Law, Economic Growth, Sanitation, and Tourism.
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