October 1, 2007

New Project Won–Liberia: Livelihood Improvement for Farming Enterprises

ACDI/VOCA won a $3.9 million, 2.5 year Livelihood Improvement for Farming Enterprises (LIFE) Activity in Liberia. ACDI/VOCA will monetize a total of 9,300 MT of parboiled rice and bread flour and use the proceeds from the sale to implement program activities that will include the following:

• farmer training
• nurseries, seedling production and tree rehabilitation
• farmer organization and enabling increased access to markets
• credit training

The program is important since Liberia faces myriad economic challenges. Civil war and government mismanagement have destroyed much of the economy and many business people have fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them. Some have returned since the election of President Ellen Johnson Sirlaf in 2006, but many will not. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia has been a producer and exporter of basic products and the sector employs 70 percent of the country’s labor force.