The Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) has produced more than 100 metric tonnes of seed rice under the Smallholder Agriculture Development for Food and Nutrition Security (SADFONS) Project, representing about 40 percent of the project's 250-metric-tonne target.
The milestone comes as Liberia seeks to strengthen its domestic seed industry, increase agricultural production and reduce dependence on imported food and planting materials.
SADFONS was approved by the African Development Bank (AfDB) in June 2021 and is scheduled to close in June 2027. The project aims to improve food and nutrition security, reduce poverty among targeted rural populations and increase productivity among smallholder farmers.
The next phase of CARI's seed production is expected to benefit from agricultural machinery donated by the AfDB, including a 90-horsepower tractor and several farm implements.
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At a ceremony in Suakoko, SADFONS National Coordination Officer Dennis J. Wiagbe said the machinery was requested because mechanization was necessary to reduce the physical burden on farmers and increase production.
The equipment package includes a tractor, heavy-duty thresher, disc plough, seed planter, power tillers, motorized sprayers and other agricultural implements. It also includes GPS equipment and drone technology intended to support monitoring of production fields.
Wiagbe said the national coordination office in Monrovia would monitor the use of the equipment to prevent misuse and ensure the machinery does not remain idle.
CARI Director General Dr. Arthur Bob Karnuah said the institute had already produced more than 100 metric tonnes of seed rice without the new machinery and expects production to increase once the equipment becomes fully operational.
He, however, stressed the importance of ensuring access to spare parts, highlighting a key challenge facing agricultural mechanization programs in Liberia.
Mechanization can reduce the labour required for land preparation, planting, harvesting and post-harvest activities. But its sustainability depends on fuel, trained operators, maintenance services, spare parts, roads and reliable markets.
The seed production milestone is significant as Liberia works to develop a more reliable domestic seed system capable of providing farmers with quality planting materials.
CARI is implementing seed-related activities under SADFONS in 11 counties: Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, River Gee, Maryland, Bomi, Bong, Montserrado, Sinoe, Grand Bassa, River Cess and Grand Cape Mount.
The program focuses on rice, cassava and vegetables, alongside value-chain development, market access, farmer organizations and climate resilience.
AfDB project documents indicate that the seed component is designed to strengthen the system through which breeder seed is multiplied into foundation seed and eventually supplied to certified seed producers.
The project also envisages developing and rehabilitating seed-production land, establishing decentralized seed gardens, improving seed laboratories and strengthening seed storage, processing and quality-control facilities.
Jobson A. Momo, Director General of the Seed Development and Certification Agency (SDCA), said Liberia was moving toward a stronger certified-seed system that could enable farmers to approach agriculture as a business.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the government has formally established the SDCA to coordinate, regulate and administer seed certification and control functions.
Momo said the establishment of CARI's first seed garden, supported through SADFONS and the World Bank's Rural Economic Transformation Project, has helped efforts to recover genetic materials, including rice varieties such as NERICA L19 and Suakoko 8.
Quality seed can improve germination, plant vigor, crop uniformity and yields. But improved seed must also be available to farmers at the right time and at affordable prices.
CARI Deputy Director General for Research Dr. Quaqua Mulbah described the machinery donation as an important development for reducing agricultural drudgery and increasing production.
CARI Director for Finance and Administration William F. Kortee Jr. also described the equipment as another step forward for the institute.
Karnuah meanwhile called for investment to solarize CARI's seed bank and gene bank, emphasizing the importance of reliable energy for agricultural research and the preservation of genetic resources.
The sustainability of the machinery investment will depend on proper management and maintenance. Without trained operators, spare parts, fuel and repair services, agricultural equipment can quickly become underutilized.
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For farmers, the ultimate measure will be whether the investment results in timely land preparation, increased access to quality seed, higher yields, lower production costs and improved market opportunities.
Liberia has significant agricultural potential but continues to face structural challenges in transforming smallholder farming into a productive and commercially sustainable sector.
SADFONS was designed to address some of these challenges through increased agricultural productivity and production, improved value addition and market access, and stronger institutional capacity.
The reported production of more than 100 metric tonnes of seed rice is therefore an important milestone, but CARI still has 150 metric tonnes to produce to reach the project's 250-tonne target.
Whether the newly supplied machinery accelerates that process will depend on effective management, availability of operators, fuel, spare parts, maintenance and suitable production land.
As SADFONS moves toward its planned 2027 closing date, the central challenge will be sustaining the systems and capacities developed under the project.
