Food and Enterprise Development (FED) Activity Highlights for January 1st-15th, 2016
- Students enrolled in the National Diploma in Agriculture (NDA) curriculum launched the NDA Student Union on January 10, 2016 at the Lofa County Community College (LCCC). The program was marked by installation of the Union’s leadership to include the following positions: President, Vice President, Financial Secretary, Treasurer and Chaplain. Several government agencies, NGO representatives, the LCCC Dean of Agriculture and administrative staff from other high schools in neighboring communities were also in attendance at the launch.
- ACDI/VOCA confirmed the scheduled deployment of a Goat Breeding Specialist to Liberia in February 2016 to provide technical assistance to USAID/FED goat lead farmers on a community goat breeding program. Approximately 25 lead farmers including Goat value chain extension officers will be trained.
- USAID FED and BRAC-Liberia signed a Purchase Order (PO) to conduct the FY2016 Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) vaccination campaign. Approximately 108,000 small ruminants (sheep and goats) will be vaccinated across Bong, Lofa, Nimba and Grand Bassa Counties.
- USAID FED linked the Marwah horticulture production cluster to the Royal Hotel for supply of high quality lettuce. This linkage provided a new market for the USAID FED assisted farmers. Strengthening farm-to-market links is critical to providing outlets for the increased production resulting from the adoption of productivity-enhancing technologies introduced by USAID FED. Marwah farming group and horticulture production cluster head, Alexander Moannah, has assisted farming group to produce better quality, higher-yielding and higher value vegetables through adoption of more modern production technologies. The result is higher quality lettuce acceptable to demanding customers such as the Royal Hotel and U.S. Embassy chefs. Other quality vegetables being produced are chili pepper, tomato, okra and bitter ball.
- In December, USAID FED and Falama Inc. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the establishment of a cassava flour/starch mill just outside Monrovia capable of processing 10 MT per day. Preliminary arrangements such as site visits, preparation for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study and plant/mill design have been initiated to fast track this effort. The site is located near the national highway and has a right of way access road leading to the back side of the lot. An unfinished structure of concrete hollow blocks is located on the property which could be later developed into an administrative office and storage space.