World Bank & IFAD complete technical implementation support mission to agriculture

The World Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have concluded a technical Implementation Support Mission (ISM) for the Rural Economic Transformation Project (RETRAP) and the Smallholder Agriculture Transformation and Agribusiness Revitalization Project (STAR-P) in Liberia.

The ISM is a bi-annual activity that includes reviewing the implementation of the projects, conducting field visits, and engaging with policymakers, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders.

The mission’s objective was to review the implementation status across the projects’ components with an emphasis on financial management and procurement performance and compliance with environmental and social safeguards and agree on actions to speed up implementation.

The mission, which is the first for 2024, occurred between 29th January and 28th February and included the Minister of Agriculture Hon. J. Alexander Neutah, World Bank Country Manager Georgia Wallen, World Bank Task Team Leader Dr. Kadir Osman Gyasi and other Bank executives, IFAD Country Program Analyst Johnson S. Kolubah,  the Liberia Agriculture Commercialization Fund (LACF)  Manager Deliotte, as well as senior staff of the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and World Bank Project Implementation Unit (PIU) managed by the National Project Coordinator Galah Toto, While Steve Marvie and Tarnue Jeke serve as Operations Managers for the STAR-P and RETRAP respectively.

Speaking at the wrap-up meeting held at his Congo Town office, Minister Neutah said he was

impressed with the projects’ support towards Financial Institutions that are helping smallholder address their fight for access to finance.

“This action supports my vision of an agricultural bank that will cater to the needs of our farmers who are struggling to get loans from the existing banks due to the long gestation periods of their various crops. This is a step forward to achieving this form of support on their behalf”, he said.

He also applauded the deployment of projects’ county focal persons that are complimenting the work of the ministry’s extension staff, stressing the need to do more. “One key challenge with agricultural extension is the limited capacity that exists. We need a hundred staff in the fields for effective extension work, but we have forty-seven. You have helped us solve some of the issues with that, but the plan is to fill the gap within the next twelve months. This will include training some staff in areas where they can perform well, and shifting some to the field”, he added.

 Speaking when she toured some interventions of the PIU, Ms. Wallen said she was excited to see that women were adequately captured in the implementation of the projects. She noted that it was important to promote gender and social inclusivity at all levels.

For his part, Dr. Gyasi, said significant progress has been made in key areas including proper documentation of expenditure and strengthening the Gender, Environmental, and Social Safeguard components of the projects, thus, the mission can be labelled as successful.

“When I took over, my first request was that you see the implementation as your growth plan. I am glad that you have done that, and that is why we are seeing a very impressive implementation thus far, I am looking forward to working with this dedicated team until the end of the implementation”, he said.

The National Program Coordinator Galah Toto in his remark said that stakeholders were excited about the delivery, and it was now time to talk more about what the projects have done and are still doing.

 “Since we have done so much through our interventions, the plan now is to talk more about the gains that are being made in the sector. This robust information dissemination campaign will see most of our grantees and other stakeholders, including technical specialists at the PIU, speaking about the numerous achievements that are transforming the lives of our beneficiaries who are mainly smallholder farmers and agribusiness persons.

The stories are touching, and they speak to the credibility of our service delivery. We expect that when they are told, they will boost our visibility and attract more funding that could help our smallholder farmers”, he said.

The mission visited project sites and interacted with stakeholders in Bomi, Bong, Lofa, Margibi, Montserrado, and Nimba Counties, and expressed appreciation to all participants in the mission activities.

 In Lofa County, Saah Bundo, Manager of Makona River Farms disclosed that the support they received from the MOA through the STAR Project greatly impacted their bumper harvest.

“We have harvested over 65 tons of paddy that are ready to be milled. This is a huge increase, compared to the 13 tons we were harvesting before the intervention. At this rate, we will be able to feed a large portion of our country. This will address a critical concern of feeding ourselves. This is largely because of the support we have received from the Ministry of Agriculture, World Bank and IFAD, through the project”, he said. The team also visited the two rice processing plants operated by Mohammed Kamara and John Selma in Lofa County.

Farwen Jepekei is the Chief Executive Officer of F&J Farms in Bomi County. According to him, the Ministry and partners, through the RETRAP have been very instrumental in positively transforming his activities that are now operating with a business-focused module.

“The structure we had was terrible. We were advised to focus on improving it and look more into production before gradually venturing into packaging. We were supported in constructing two flowering pans, a 24-hour solar system that provides electricity, a biodigester and other items. We have increased our pigs by a hundred and ten percent”, he said.

Mamidou Koussé, the Farm Manager of Sankofa Farms in Bong County expressed gratitude for the support stating, “We are grateful for the support we are receiving from the MOA and its partners. It has helped us improve our farming practices and increase our income, and we look forward to more support to expand the farm”, he said.

 Plenseh McCoy, CEO of Nimba Rural Women Cooperative in Nimba County, also expressed gratitude for the project’s support.

 She thanked the donors for providing training in best farming practices and supplying agricultural inputs, stating, “The support has provided us with the basic training and knowledge of best farming practices as well as many agricultural inputs which have made a significant difference in our farming activities”, she said.

 The RETRAP, which seeks to develop or enhance competitiveness and market access through productive alliances as well as strengthening agri-marketing and engaging in road infrastructure investments, targets 60,000 beneficiaries in the casava, rubber, vegetable, pig, and poultry value chains.

The project has so far supported over 15,000 farmers in various value chains and has provided investment grants to 67 cooperatives and agribusinesses for the improvement of their activities. The STAR Project seeks to increase agricultural productivity & commercialization of smallholder farmers for selected value. It targets 38,000 farmers in the oil palm, rice, and vegetable sectors.

STAR-P has supported over 40,900 farmers in the selected value chains and has provided investment grants to 102 cooperatives and agribusinesses. Also, over 5,800 from various Farmers’ Based Organizations (FBOs) have benefited from direct farming inputs under the project.

The Ministry of Agriculture implements both projects through the World Bank Project Implementation Unit (PIU). —Press release