Crop Issues
Crop production is not only the largest component of the agricultural sector in Sierra Leone but also plays an extremely important role in the life and economy of the country. For this sector does not only account for the country’s staple food – rice, but produces other essential food crops through which our farmers earn their livelihood as well as help salvage our ailing national economy.
However, the production of our food crops is almost exclusively undertaken by small scale farmers whose available resources and capacity cannot effectively respond to the numerous, apparently complex problems and challenges of the crop sector. As a result, farm size are often small, the net profit gained, following a toiling production process is discouraging; and the support it provides to the national economy, vis-avis its hug potential is also grossly unsatisfactory.
Developing high yielding pest-resistant crop varieties
Undeniably, our two research institutions (Rokupr Rice Research Station and the Institute of Agricultural Research) have continued to make attempts to improve the situation especially by developing high yielding pest and disease resistant crop varieties, prominently rice, cassava and sweet potato. Commendable though such effort may be, the stark reality on the ground is that the Sierra Leonean farmer still has to catch up with farmers in many parts of the world because the yield he realize from so-called improved crop varieties are very low as opposed to what his counterparts get in many part of the globe.
Undeniably, our two research institutions (Rokupr Rice Research Station and the Institute of Agricultural Research) have continued to make attempts to improve the situation especially by developing high yielding pest and disease resistant crop varieties, prominently rice, cassava and sweet potato. Commendable though such effort may be, the stark reality on the ground is that the Sierra Leonean farmer still has to catch up with farmers in many parts of the world because the yield he realize from so-called improved crop varieties are very low as opposed to what his counterparts get in many part of the globe.
A complex mix of several factors obviously accounts for this situation. For one reason, our soil are fragile and not fertile enough to adequately support the sustainable growth and development of our crops, especially improved crop varieties that are too often nutrient-demanding. Unfortunately, the application of chemical fertilizer in Sierra Leone is not only low but many times is unavailable.
Even more so is the point that the wastes and loses incurred by the farmer in Sierra Leone is huge, more so because, there is very little available agro-processing facilities. This problem is very serious in the area of perishable crops, including vegetables, fruits, cassava and sweet potato. Infact, estimates have shown that the losses can be over 50% and in many cases up to 100%. And frequently, the losses are as result of poor handling, transportation and storage facilities.
Difficult to handle
True, our research institutions are to be seen to explore and indeed develop technologies to handle these serious perineal problems; but the fact is that the lack of adequate support and funding of these Institutions that have many of our best brains has stifled such initiative. Also the linkage between research and extension in Sierra Leone is yet to be strong enough to effectively facilitate available technologies to our farmers, including the time relaying of the genuine and disturbing problem and viewpoints of our farmers to research. Compounding this problem also, is the fact that the availability of transportation for our extension staff to facilitate their work is not only grossly inadequate but their working condition of service, particularly in areas of realistic salaries, timely appointment into the permanent and pension-able service and promotions are extremely slow and demoralizing.
True, our research institutions are to be seen to explore and indeed develop technologies to handle these serious perineal problems; but the fact is that the lack of adequate support and funding of these Institutions that have many of our best brains has stifled such initiative. Also the linkage between research and extension in Sierra Leone is yet to be strong enough to effectively facilitate available technologies to our farmers, including the time relaying of the genuine and disturbing problem and viewpoints of our farmers to research. Compounding this problem also, is the fact that the availability of transportation for our extension staff to facilitate their work is not only grossly inadequate but their working condition of service, particularly in areas of realistic salaries, timely appointment into the permanent and pension-able service and promotions are extremely slow and demoralizing.
Mechanical Cultivation (with the use of tractors) appears to be one potentially viable and promising area to boost and even commercialize crop production in Sierra Leone . The merits of the use of tractors among many others include increasing the timeliness of farm operations. Sadly though, the use of tractors in Sierra Leone is yet to yield the expected result as many times tractors imported into the country are unsuitable to our farming satiation. There is also frequently the lack of needed spare parts, fuel and the absence and meaningful management of our ploughing schemes.
Inadequate pricing
Important too, is the inadequate pricing of produce of our farmers. I say so because our farmers are yet to benefit from fair price for their produce. At the same time, domestic prices of our agricultural commodities are not marching or competitive with other world market, in which case, export of Cocoa, Coffee and other produce are yet to bring home the needed foreign exchange. As if this is not enough, the lack of a suitable framework for market research and the dissemination of such needed information is a serious problem that is sapping the growth and development of our farmers.
Important too, is the inadequate pricing of produce of our farmers. I say so because our farmers are yet to benefit from fair price for their produce. At the same time, domestic prices of our agricultural commodities are not marching or competitive with other world market, in which case, export of Cocoa, Coffee and other produce are yet to bring home the needed foreign exchange. As if this is not enough, the lack of a suitable framework for market research and the dissemination of such needed information is a serious problem that is sapping the growth and development of our farmers.
Interestingly, the government of Sierra Leone that is also pre-occupied with the burden of providing other vital and basic services for the well being of Sierra Leoneans is the largest investor in the sector. Many individuals, groups, institutions and others that have the capacity and resources to help remove these impediment by involving in medium and large scale farming do not look at the production of rice and other food crops as areas to do business because they perceive or calculate it as highly risky, or even unprofitable.
While the five year National Food Security initiative of the last regime was somehow commended by many, critics strongly held that the programme was not only over ambitious but the Government was not committed enough to bring to bear on it the needed planning an resources to achieve its goal within the given frame.
Bold step has to be taken
The current Minister of the lead Government Ministry of the Sector, Dr. Joseph Sam Sesay holds the view that if the situation of the farmers in Sierra Leone is to positively change, if there has to be sustained Food Security for all Sierra Leoneans and if the hug agricultural potential of the country is to be taped so as to salvage the national economy, the bold step of modernizing and commercializing the sector has to be taken.
The problems outlined in this article are obviously thorny, challenges and daunting but not insurmountable. And indeed Minister Sam Sesay has begun putting in place a holistic and strategic framework to deal with these problems. Some of the thorny problems and the challenges are encouraging and providing a favorable environment for multi- sectoral interventions and the seemingly difficult decision of removing the Government of the Ministry from commercial aspects of Agriculture, thus promoting the role of private sector. In all these, the farmers need to be empowered in other to achieve food security and improving the standard of living for farmers and helping to boost the economy.
April 2008