G-CAP to launch ESC project in Margibi

G-CAP members and Executive Director J. Allocious Tamba Green Coast Agriculture Program or G-CAP has embarked on massive awareness ahead of the launch of its Enterprise Service Center (ESC) in Margibi County.

The awareness started Friday, June 30, and is expected to continue this week, involving radio talk shows, advertisement and street parade to abreast citizens about its activities. Established in 2008, G-CAP is involved with agricultural activities in rural Montserrado and Margibi Counties.

The ESC project is aimed at encouraging farmers to move away from subsistence to commercial farming.  Under the project, farmers are to benefit improved farm to market transport system, good storage capacity and seeds, among and others to help enhance yields.

Executive Director J. Allocious Tamba told reporters in Kakata last week it was very essential to engage farmers about bigger farming than the traditional subsistence method so that they have access to soil tailing machines and other agricultural tools that they could little fees for.

Mr. Tamba noted that in Liberia, people take farming to be a small thing, but in countries like Nigeria, Ghana and America, most successful persons are farmers. He encouraged Liberians to go to school and learn agriculture before going into farming, but also maintained that someone with money could become a good farmer.

He said G-CAP encourages business people and stakeholders to invest in farming to boast the economy, and disclosed that his organization is working hard to put in place a system that would ensure that the middle man does not rub the farmers.

According to him, G-CAP will also ensure farmers are connected with national and international partners. Meanwhile, Mr. Tamba has called on local authorities to serve as role models when it comes to agriculture, adding that he appreciates Senator Oscar Cooper and businessman turned politician Benoni Urey for investing in agriculture and creating employment in Margibi.

He said the current is to create job opportunity and support food security in the country. However, he pointed to challenges such as deplorable roads and attracting people to the agriculture sector and added strategies were underway to get most Liberians to invest in the soil than depending only on imported food.

He said about 3,600 farmers have previously benefited from G-CAP activities in Bong County after they received training and inputs, including managerial skills and leadership. Tamba added that students from the Cuttington University in Bong, the University of Liberia and Stella Maris Polytechnics also benefited from the training.

By Ramsey N. Singbeh, Jr. in Margibi