This project will reduce poverty and food insecurity among smallholder, women farmers in Liberia and Sierra Leone by supporting kitchen farms and promoting livestock production, health, and other good practices for rural households. Thanks to BRAC's partnerships with other donors, contributions to this project have extraordinary leverage: Funding of $18,975 raised through Global Giving will be matched and multiplied by others, unlocking $60,882 to reach 600 women farmers.
*Please see the 'Reports' section for updates on our work during and after the Ebola outbreak.* Agriculture is an important activity for people in Liberia and Sierra Leone, with over 70% depending on it for their livelihoods. Despite ample pastureland and a big domestic demand for produce, meat, milk and eggs, small farmers struggle to move beyond subsistence farming. This means missed livelihood opportunities, food insecurity and malnutrition.
We will train thousands of rural, food-insecure farmers (65% women) to begin keeping livestock and homestead gardens. Farmers with previous experience in livestock production will be trained as agro-vets, program assistants, breeding farmers, and staff for hatcheries, feed mills, slaughter houses, and smoke houses, thus creating and strengthening a livestock value chain. This project creates jobs, increases food supply, and establishes the necessary networks to ensure success and sustainability.
BRAC has over 40 years experience designing, adapting, and scaling up agriculture and livestock programs with tremendous success in Bangladesh. By training farmers on the ground, creating the necessary social networks for community support, and establishing value chains with livelihood opportunities at every level, BRAC is strengthening agriculture and livestock initiatives in Liberia and Sierra Leone and setting them up for long-term functionality, food security and health.
This project has provided additional documentation in a XLSX file (projdoc.xlsx).
