Her mission was to exhibit improved cocoa & coffee value chains and Linking Agriculture and Natural Resource Management towards Nutrition Security (LANN+) to one of the biggest gatherings of farmers, policy makers agriculturists and NGO’s in Sierra Leone.
The World Food Day Celebration was organized from the 15th to the 17th of October 2019, with the D-Day being on 16th of October 2019 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. It is an international day recognized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and was commemorated globally.
Farmers and Development Organization in the agribusiness sector graced the occasion and the theme was “Our actions are our future. Healthy diets for a zero hunger world.
Khadijatu Brima is among more than 17,000 farmers trained and supported by a German NGO, Welthungerhilfe (WHH) with funding support from the European Commission.
She is a beneficiary of the ProAct 2015 project which aims to foster small holder agriculture in Sierra Leone. ProAct 2015 is a consortium of three NGOs which are WHH, InterAide and COOPI. WHH ProAct 2015 operates in three Districts in the East: Kenema, Kailahun and Kono Districts to improve the food and nutrition security situation of vulnerable population groups.
“Women work side by side with men in our cocoa and coffee farms in Kono,” Khadijatu said. “Members of our farmer based organization, Yormata Farmers Development Association have been trained to increase our income through agricultural diversification.” She said
“Our cocoa and coffee are organic with a premium grade for fair trade Komba Issa a cocoa grower and member of the Kasiyatama Cocoa Farmers Association said. Komba Issa is also a WHH ProAct 2015 beneficiary.
Komba says the income for small holder farmers in his village have doubled over the years after series of training onrehabilitation of cocoa and coffee farms with emphasis on pruning, shade management, gap filling, sanitization to control black pods and under brushing. “We use an innovative approach to process our cocoa and coffee after harvesting with the use of solar drying sheets to cover the booths, fermentation boxes/chambers to curb post-harvest losses,” Komba explained to visitors.
WHH ProAct 2015 also knows as “Proactive Resilience” has been providing financial support in form of facilitating the farmers to ensure quality control in the Coffee/Cocoa sector through provision of drying booths, solar drying sheets and fermentation boxes.
Zacharia Bashiru Mansaray, also a beneficiary of WHH ProAct 2015 is the National Coordinator Network for Rural Development Kailahun District. He said farmers are increasing the crop tree cover through setting up of model agroforestry systems.
Buckarie Nyallay a member of the WHH LANN+ project farmer groups in Koya Chiefdom, Kenema District said Welthungerhilfe trainings on nutrition improvement through farming of alternative protein and awareness creation on good nutrition, hygiene and sanitation practices are beneficial in agricultural diversification for increase income.
Momoh Massaquoi, yet another beneficiary of WHH ProAct 2015 is a Cocoa and Coffee grower in Wandor,Kenema District said quality control has created immense improvement in cocoa/coffee production in Kenema and farmers are getting a good price from exporters as compared to the past.
Sierra Leone is a low-income and food deficit country in West Africa, fifty -three percent of the population live below the poverty line according to the Sierra Leone Integrated Household Survey 2018
Welthungerhilfe Head of Project Cocoa/ coffee value chain development Derek Makokha said “We are complementing Government efforts through facilitation and logistical support of activities in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the District Council for income generation through honey production via mounting beehives in Cocoa/Coffee agroforestry systems.
“We are supporting cooperative farming with provision of solar drying booths and seed distribution of case loads among Implementing Partners with gender sensitive approach through addressing both men and women in capacity building. Welthungerhilfe Head of Project Cocoa/ coffee value chain development Derek Makokha said.
He said 512 cocoa and coffee facilitators have been trained on nursery establishment who in turn trained 12,540 farmers while 517 facilitators were trained in farm Rehabilitation who in turn trained 13,173 farmers in Kenema, Kono and Kailahun Districts. The world food day celebration was climaxed by launching of a zero hunger strategic review for Sierra Leone by the Government
Visiting the Welthungerhilfe exhibition booth at the World Food Day in Port Loko From Left: The Amb. Dr. Abu Bakarr Karim Presidential Adviser on Trade and Investment, Derek Makokha, Head of Project ProAct 2015, Abdul Kamara Snr. District Field Officer ProAct2015 Kenema District and The Assistant Minister of Agriculture Hon. Sam-King Brima
Khadijatu Brima a leading women’s farmer in Kono District explaining to Director of Crops Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry John Solomon Kamara about her farm at the Welthungerhilfe exhibition booth in Port Loko
Amb. Dr. Abu Bakarr Karim Presidential Adviser on Trade and Investment in discussion with Derek Makokha, Head of Project ProAct 2015 WHH as a farmer Momoh Massaquoi, looks on
A Welthungerhilfe supported farmer exhibits produce on nutrition improvement as alternative protein with some
school children in Port Loko
