-discloses expansion of Urban Rice Project
Agriculturalist wants Liberia's wetlands protected; call on the country's Environmental Protection Agency to enforce law on wetlands protection.
The Executive Director of the Community of Hope Agriculture Project (CHAP), Bishop Roberts Bimba is calling on the Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA) and other land-related agencies in Liberia to enforce the law governing the protection of wetlands.
Bimba said wetlands in the country are constantly being faced with the issue of construction of houses and other environmental degradation issues.
The Environmental Protection Management law of Liberia states that no person in relation to the protection of wetlands shall carry out any form of construction.
However, the CHAP Executive Director said he has observed that individuals are still using the wetlands to construct houses which is a complete violation of the Environmental Protection Management law of Liberia.
He further argued that construction in the wetlands undermines food security improvement efforts.
According to him, the wetlands can be used for agriculture purposes to raise additional incomes for community dwellers in urban areas.
His concern comes following the continuous encroachment by some unscrupulous individuals on projects like the Zubah Town swamp rice project located in Paynesville, outside Monrovia.
The Zubah Town rice project covers 12.5 hectares (32 acres) of lowland in the community.
Experts have said that if such a lowland rice project is fully supported by the government, it has the potential to produce several metric tons of rice for Paynesville and its environs.
It aims to promote urban and peri-urban agriculture; which was launched in Liberia in 2003 to create jobs for women and youths.
Bimba mentioned that people are aware of the laws governing the protection of wetlands, but they choose to continue to violate them.
He wants the EPA to take immediate actions so as to protect the rice project.
Bimba has also complained about residents around the community areas using the swamp to dispose of their waste materials.
He said this is affecting the yield of the rice project and there is a need for the Paynesville City Corporation to come in to sensitize the residents on garbage control within the community.
"We can't have people continue to violate the law governing the protection of wetlands. The EPA and other land-related agencies need to enforce the law. We also want the Paynesville City Corporation to help in the control of the garbage," Bimba said.
At the same time, the CHAP Executive Director said the Zubah Town rice project is expected to increase the production of rice this year to supply the market.
According to him, with support from the Jubilee Justice Foundation based in the United States of America, his organization is currently working to develop the entire swampland, using the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method.
SRI is a farming methodology that aims to increase the yield of rice while using fewer resources and reducing environmental impacts.
Liberia is among several countries in West Africa using the SRI method to increase the production of rice.
Bimba said his organization intends to use the Zubah Town rice project to grow more rice for the communities.
Rice is Liberia's main staple, but the country has yet to reach domestic supply to feed its citizens. Every year, Liberia spends close to US $200 million on rice importation.
"The goal of the rice project is to ensure the availability of local rice for the communities. The rice when harvested is going to be sold right here in Paynesville at a price affordable to the residents," he recently explained to this reporter.
The CHAP Executive Director further said several residents from various communities are currently using the Zubah Town rice project to earn additional income.
"Several women come here every day for daily hire jobs. We also allow them to own plots during the dry season to grow fresh and healthy vegetables for the market," he explained.
According to him, the project is also a part of the RICOWAS Liberia program.
RICOWAS Liberia is a regional rice project that was launched last year in the country to help scale up rice production.
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Bimba said that the program is in six counties helping the farmers to increase rice production.
Meanwhile, the CHAP Executive Director who is also the head of RICOWAS has disclosed that his organization is expected to benefit from assistance from the Ministry of Agriculture Partners' projects grant program.
He said the grant when disbursed is going to provide machinery, additional processing equipment, and funding to assist more farmers develop their farms.
"We are going to upgrade processing and purchase a truck to transport paddy rice as well as to procure a power tiller and tractor," he disclosed.
"Since the establishment of this project, this is going to be the first time that we have ever gotten such an assistance. We will use the assistance to employ more women and young people from the various communities," he explained.
Bimba has disclosed plans to get involved in developing lowlands in other communities within Monrovia and its surroundings. Editing by Jonathan Browne
