–Targets 842,000 Direct and Indirect Beneficiaries
By: Akoi M. Baysah, Jr.
Green Cities Inc. (GCI), in partnership with Action Against Hunger (AAH) and the Say No to Hunger Farmers’ Cooperative, has launched a €375,000 Nutrition and Organic Uptake for Resilient Inclusive Sustainable Harvest for Family Farms (NOURISH Family Farms) project aimed at strengthening sustainable agriculture and food security in Liberia.
The project is co-funded within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) framework by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the European Union, is expected to directly benefit 600 smallholder farmers, 360 women and 240 men, and indirectly reach approximately 842,000 people in Nimba and Montserrado Counties.
Giving an overview of the project at the launch held in Monrovia, Green Cities’ Program and Business Development Manager, Dalitso Kuphanga, stated that the project seeks to increase farmers’ adoption of quality organic biofertilizers and biopesticides to improve soil fertility, reduce crop losses, and minimize dependence on synthetic agricultural inputs.
Kuphanga said the initiative will also promote diversified crop production and dietary practices, with the goal of improving household nutrition, strengthening agro-biodiversity, and increasing farmers’ resilience to climate and market shocks.
He further disclosed that the project will work to improve agro-biodiversity, farm productivity, household incomes, and dietary diversity through sustainable agroecological practices by 2028.
Also making remarks at the National Inception Meeting and launch of the Nourish Family Farmers project, Green Cities Incorporated Board Chairperson and Deputy Minister of Budget and Development Planning, Tanneh Brunson said the initiative seeks to address several challenges affecting Liberia’s agricultural sector.
“Waste management, declining soil fertility, food insecurity, unemployment and environmental degradation should not be addressed in isolation,” Brunson said.
The Board Chairperson noted that the project will promote agroecological practices and improve farmers’ access to organic biofertilizers and biopesticides, while supporting the production of nutrient-rich foods, emphasing that farmers are central to the project’s success.
“Our objective is to ensure that the knowledge, technologies and organic agricultural inputs promoted through this project translate into healthier soils, increased production, improved household nutrition and stronger farmer incomes,” she said.
She reiterated that “The project is being implemented by Green Cities Inc. in partnership with Action Against Hunger and the Say No to Hunger Farmers’ Cooperative, with support from the ECOWAS Commission, European Union and Agence Française de Développement”.
Madam Brunson further pledged Green Cities’ commitment to transparency, accountability and effective oversight throughout the project’s implementation.
Also speaking, Green Cities General Manager Marie Kpoto urged stakeholders to focus on their respective roles and responsibilities and ensure that project gains are sustained beyond its implementation period.
In remarks delivered on his behalf, Agriculture Minister Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah said the project is important because family farmers remain central to Liberia’s agriculture sector and efforts to improve food and nutrition security.
“As we transform agriculture, we must focus beyond increasing production,” Minister Nuetah said, stressing the need for farming systems that are productive, resilient, commercially viable, and environmentally sustainable.
He urged the project consortium to place farmers at the center of implementation, not merely as beneficiaries, but as partners in identifying, testing, and adopting practical solutions suited to their needs.
The launch brought together representatives of the Paynesville and Monrovia city corporations, ECOWAS partners, the European Union, Action Against Hunger, Say No to Hunger, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Liberia Standards Authority, and other government and development stakeholders.
