In a country where agriculture employs the majority of the population, yet food insecurity remains a persistent national challenge, Liberia's Recovery of Economic Activity for Liberian Informal Sector Employment (REALISE) Project is emerging as an important test case for whether carefully targeted livelihood interventions can produce lasting economic transformation.
For farmers in Dementa and Palelowai Towns in Bong County, the answer appears increasingly positive.
During a monitoring and donor field mission on June 17, project beneficiaries told government officials, development partners and journalists that the support they have received through the Community Livelihood and Agricultural Support (CLAS) component has significantly improved their farming activities, increased production and strengthened household livelihoods.
The visit brought together officials from the Government of Liberia, the World Bank, the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE), project management teams and local authorities, allowing donors to directly assess how investments are translating into tangible results in rural communities.
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Unlike many development projects that rely heavily on statistical reports, the REALISE initiative places considerable emphasis on direct beneficiary engagement -- allowing communities themselves to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.
The REALISE Project was conceived as part of Liberia's broader effort to cushion vulnerable populations from economic shocks while simultaneously stimulating employment and agricultural productivity.
Implemented through a multi-sector partnership led by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and the Liberia Agency for Community Empowerment (LACE), with financing from the World Bank, the project combines social protection with productive livelihood support.
Rather than providing one-time relief, the initiative seeks to help vulnerable households generate sustainable income through agriculture while strengthening community resilience against climate change.
Its CLAS component currently serves 24,252 beneficiaries across eight counties -- Bong, Lofa, Nimba, Grand Gedeh, Sinoe, Bomi, Gbarpolu and Grand Cape Mount -- covering 735 communities nationwide.
In Bong County alone, the project has reached 175 communities over three implementation phases.
Deputy Project Coordinator Anita K.S. Marshall said the monitoring visit was intentionally designed to allow development partners to hear directly from beneficiaries rather than relying solely on written reports.
"The beneficiaries are stakeholders in this process," Marshall said. "It is important for donors to hear directly from them and see the impact of the interventions for themselves."
Her remarks underscore a growing trend in international development that places greater emphasis on accountability, transparency and measurable outcomes. Increasingly, donors are seeking evidence that investments are improving lives rather than simply financing activities.
For REALISE, the testimonies offered by farmers served as an important validation that project resources are reaching intended beneficiaries.
Unlike traditional agricultural projects focused exclusively on increasing production, REALISE combines farming support with poverty reduction and social protection.
Participating groups receive improved seeds, farming tools, technical training and climate-smart agricultural knowledge while cultivating a minimum of 35 acres collectively.
The project also encourages savings, cooperative management and reinvestment of farm proceeds to ensure communities continue producing after external support ends.
Project officials say this sustainability model is designed to prevent communities from becoming permanently dependent on donor assistance.
Project Coordinator Jesse Bengu explained that beneficiaries receive direct support for one year but are expected to continue farming independently for at least two additional years.
"We are making progress, but there is still a need to expand support to many more communities if we want to significantly reduce food insecurity across the country," Bengu said.
He acknowledged that although approximately 54,000 Liberians have benefited from REALISE, the number remains relatively small compared to Liberia's population of more than five million.
That reality, he noted, explains why national food insecurity persists despite ongoing agricultural investments.
Perhaps one of the project's most significant achievements lies beyond crop production.
The monitoring team observed several community assets financed through project proceeds, including rice-processing facilities, cassava mills, palm oil processing equipment, renovated schools and improved community halls.
These investments are helping communities move beyond subsistence farming toward value addition.
For women especially, the installation of rice-processing machines has substantially reduced the physical burden associated with traditional manual processing methods.
By lowering labor costs while increasing productivity, the project is simultaneously improving incomes and quality of life.
Development specialists often describe this approach as "community asset creation" -- using agricultural projects to generate infrastructure that continues benefiting residents long after donor funding concludes.
Another defining feature of REALISE is its emphasis on climate resilience.
Farmers receive training on improved farming methods, soil conservation, sustainable land management and climate-smart agricultural practices intended to increase yields despite changing weather conditions.
This approach reflects growing recognition that climate change has become one of Liberia's greatest threats to agricultural productivity.
Erratic rainfall, declining soil fertility and environmental degradation continue to affect smallholder farmers who depend almost entirely on rain-fed agriculture.
By integrating climate adaptation into livelihood support, REALISE aims not only to improve today's harvests but also to strengthen communities' long-term resilience.
Project officials say REALISE has drawn heavily from the experience of Liberia's earlier Youth Opportunities Project (YOP), which similarly emphasized community ownership.
According to Bengu, many YOP beneficiary groups continue farming collectively years after project funding ended.
That experience has influenced REALISE's strategy of encouraging beneficiaries to save profits, reinvest in production and maintain farming cooperatives independently.
If replicated successfully, the approach could improve the sustainability of future donor-funded agricultural interventions across Liberia.
Despite encouraging progress, officials acknowledge that REALISE alone cannot solve Liberia's agricultural challenges.
Notably, the project does not include mechanized farming--a critical component of increasing national food production.
Bengu explained that mechanization falls under the mandate of the Ministry of Agriculture, while REALISE focuses primarily on livelihood support and social protection.
This distinction highlights an important policy issue.
While livelihood projects help vulnerable households escape poverty, achieving national food self-sufficiency will require complementary investments in mechanization, irrigation, storage facilities, rural roads, access to finance and agricultural markets.
Without these larger structural investments, Liberia may continue relying heavily on imported rice despite significant donor-supported farming initiatives.
Representing Bong County authorities, Sedekie Kromah praised the Government of Liberia and its development partners for investing directly in rural communities.
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He said the programme supports President Joseph Boakai's ARREST Agenda by promoting agriculture as a catalyst for economic transformation.
"This programme demonstrates that agriculture remains central to improving livelihoods, strengthening food security and promoting sustainable development," Kromah said.
He encouraged beneficiary groups to continue expanding production even after project support ends.
Many argue that the REALISE Project illustrates an important shift in Liberia's development strategy -- from emergency humanitarian assistance toward productive social protection.
Instead of merely providing temporary support, the program attempts to equip vulnerable communities with productive assets capable of generating long-term income.
If sustained beyond donor funding, this model could reduce poverty, strengthen food security, create rural employment and slow migration from rural communities into already congested urban centers.
The project also reinforces Liberia's broader development objective of making agriculture a cornerstone of economic diversification and inclusive growth.
With the project scheduled to conclude in December 2026, its long-term success will ultimately depend less on the amount invested than on whether communities continue building on the foundations now being established.
For many farmers in Bong County, however, that future already appears more promising.
Their testimonies--of larger harvests, improved livelihoods, reduced labor burdens and stronger community cooperation--suggest that when development assistance is paired with local ownership, technical support and accountability, it can produce meaningful and lasting change.
While Liberia's food security challenges remain substantial, the experience of REALISE demonstrates that targeted investments in rural communities can become powerful building blocks toward a more productive, resilient and self-reliant agricultural sector.
