Monrovia - Liberia
November 2012
South-South Cooperation
Project
Liberia
Summary of Activities of South-South Cooperation Project in Liberia
South-South Cooperation Project ...
Contributing to Liberia’s Food Security
Liberians and Chinese teams at CARI duty station in Bong County
By Li Zhi
South-South Cooperation
Coordinator
S
ince the Chinese South-South
Cooperation (SSC) team arrived
in Liberia on June 3rd, lots of work
have done under the
oversight
leadership of the Chinese Embassy
in Liberia, with close coordination of
all sides (Government of Liberia and
FAO) concerned.
Liberian agro-products are
high in price and insufficient in quantities and varieties. In order to supply
our needs and establish production
demonstration sites for training, the
Chinese team members made concerted efforts to establish standard
vegetable gardens. Up to now, we
have established four standard
production demonstration sites of
Chinese and local vegetable varieties, with the total area of more than
half a hectare. Because the crops
grow well, we have attracted more
than 500 local technicians and
farmers to our vegetable gardens for
visiting and learning. The Teams
have also undertaken the following:
(1) Reclaim wastelands in
Center Songhai Duty Station (2)
Level land at CARI Duty Station (3)
Reclaim wastelands at Klay Station
(4) Make grass ashes for potassium
at CARI Duty Station (5) High standard demonstration site in CARI.
Since our Chinese team
members arrived at their duty
stations, we started to collect basic
data about the climate, agricultural
production level, agro-product
market, income of local farmers, irrigation system and the actual demand
of local cooperants through the field
visit and full consultation with all
stakeholders. We spent nearly one
month to visit 1-3 villages around
each duty station and interviewed
more than 100 persons in each duty
station. Based on the information,
each expert and technician com-
1
pleted his own survey report and one
-year work plan.
In order to achieve the objective
of the project, we applied the following
methods to do our (1) In CARI Chinese sub-teams
cooperate with
Longping High-tech Company (a Chinese company), to construct a new
vegetable garden and they provide
the power-tiller and some chemical
fertilizer to us. We established 0.4ha
of high-yielding
vegetable garden
without any daily laborer. (2) Focus on
practical skills. We train local farmers
and technicians mainly in the field. At
first we Chinese demonstrate the skill
and explain it and then they follow.
(3) Make better use of local available
materials to do more things. For
example, the Chinese sub-team in
Centre Songhai has started the ricefish production, we use palm leaves to
make a temporary shelter for seedling
and use grass and pig manure to make
compost as a substitute for chemical
fertilizer.
Summary of Activities of South-South Cooperation Project in Liberia
South-South Project “Positive for Liberia”
- Extension Workers, farmers Laud Gov’t, FAO, China
L
iberian agriculture practitioners assigned with
the South-South Cooperation teams say they are
thankful to the Govern-
in the area of fishery. I am
grateful to China and our
government‟‟ He emphasized that agriculture is a
wonderful career area that
water
vation.
conser-
At the Center Songhai Liberia
Initiative
(CSLI), the Chinese experts
Chinese and Liberians at CSLI
ments of Liberia, China, as
well as FAO for introducing
the project. The Chinese
have introduced new crops
and
better
planting
practices that are being
emulated by Liberians.
can empower more people
to produce their own food
for self-sufficiency leading
to poverty reduction.
Speaking further,
Peter Gbawoquiya, who
specializes in growing
Laid out field at CARI
In
order to help
boost the country‟s national
food security program, the
experts and technicians
assigned in Klay (Bomi
County), are engaging
more Liberians especially
u n i ve rs i ty a g r i c u l tur e
graduates and local
farmers in improving
agricultural production in
corps, animals husbandry,
fishery, rice and vegetables
production.
Richard Kolleh, one
of the beneficiaries said:
„„Despite the language
difficulty with the Chinese,
this project has motivated
me in agriculture especially
vegetables, said: “I have
passion in doing agriculture
to grow more food and this
Chinese-funded
project
is just right.‟‟ Mr. Gbawoquiya appealed for the
extension of the SSC
program to enable other
Liberians benefit.
George Weefa, fishery
technician, hopes that the
project will
significantly
contribute to household food
security through the building
of skills of men, women,
young Liberian technicians,
and farmers through
demonstration in areas of
rice, vegetable, livestock,
fish, agro-machinery, and
2
have constructed mounds and
laid out large acreage of land
spaces for the purpose of
planting Chinese and Liberian
lowland
rice
including
Chinese hybrid and Liberian
inbred variety.
CSLI, located in
Bensonville, is one of the duty
stations where
Liberian
agricultural graduates and local
farmers are working alongside
the Chinese. The Liberians are
acquiring practical skills in
fishery, piggery, and rice and
vegetable seeds planting
methodology.
In working with the
Chinese, the Liberians are also
learning other practices such as
site selection, seeds and
nursery preparation, transplanting and water control. The
Chinese rice seeds will also be
used for animals feeds and
seed multiplication.
Ch en Li an g yu an ,
Chinese team leader at CSLI
said: “Because we have received enormous support from
the government and FAO, we
intend going
beyond CSLI
station to also work with
potential farmers.”
M i c h a e l A q u a y, a
Liberian, described the SouthSouth Cooperation (SSC) Project as “positive for Liberia.”
He noted that since they started
working with the Chinese, they
have learned new
farming
methods. He said the training
sessions consist of both indoor
theory and outdoor field
practices.
He
emphasized
the
relevance of the methodology:
“During indoor sessions there is
an active exchange of ideas,
drawing of field models,
identification of species and soil
content
analysis. Outdoor
sessions focus on aspects
practical, wherein fields are laid
out based on classroom diagrams. The SSC project will
help in boosting food security.”
help make Liberia selfsufficient in food.’’
Meanwhile,
the
Chinese are constructing of fish
ponds at CSLI for the production of various fish species
such as cat fish and tilapia.
Skills acquired by Liberians
will be applied when Chinese
experts exit.
Sweet pepper shrubs at Klay Site in Bomi County
Summary of Activities of South-South Cooperation Project in Liberia
Liberians Appreciate Chinese Experts
. . .want project extended to reach low crop producing counties
U
nder the South-South Project with
the Government of Liberia (GoL),
the China, and FAO, a corps of Liberian
agricultural producers are
benefiting
from the transfer of knowledge through
the
application of modern agricultural
technology
and
essential
training
required for Liberia‟s development.
Liberian field technicians working
with Chinese have expressed profound
admiration for the presence of the Chinese among them and want the project
extended to Grand Kru, River Gee, and
other low-crop producing areas to assist
in improving food production.
Theophilus
Darwolo,
young
Liberian, said they started with vegetable
production and later moved to fishery,
livestock, and rice. Mr. Darwolo
appealed to the Ministry of Agriculture to
provide local rice and vegetable seed
varieties to be tested alongside the
Chinese seeds for the purpose of
comparing growth and yields. He also
asked for the project to be extended to
counties where rice and vegetable
production are low.
Expressing her ardent desire to
remain with the experts and technicians
Chinese experts in
Monrovia in June just
before deployment
to the very end, Maima Sirleaf said:
„„Agriculture is an extension work. I fell
happy being a part of the team here to
improve my knowledge with the Chinese.
I hope this project goes to other
counties.”
The Liberians
are enthusiastic
about teaming up with their Chinese brothers for all the knowledge, be it practical
and theoretical skills. They said through
their interactions with the Chinese, they
are now on the path of specializing in
one of the ongoing activities so that when
the Chinese tenure of
service is over,
the Liberians will ably continue the agricultural activities to boost food security in the
country.
The Chinese are assigned the
Central Agricultural Research Institute
(CARI) and Tumutu in Bong County, Klay
in
Bomi
County,
and
Center
Songhai Liberia Initiative in Montserrado
County respectively. The Chinese team
leader based in Tumutu, Yang Jinping,
said: “Since we came, we have been
engaged
in four fields: rice, fishery,
livestock, and vegetable production.”
Chinese Experts Safeguard Mission Purpose
N
early six months after
taking up assignments in
Liberia, Chinese agro exerts
have expressed satisfaction
over the smooth working relationship with their Liberian
colleagues. The head of the
agro experts, speaking upon
arrival in June, said they were
committed to their mission
purpose - contribute to Liberia‟s food security needs.
Li Zhi, Coordinator of
the South-South 24-member
team, said: “This Sino-Liberia
South-South Project is aimed
at safeguarding the Global
Food Security. We will cooperate with counterparts in the
production of rice, vegetables,
animal and aquatic products
and also in agricultural
mechanization, train local
farmers and technicians and
improve the agriculture technology.”
In October, Mr Zhi was
emphatic about the achievements of the team. “Right now
as I speak the experts and
their counterparts are doing
Klay Site: Mr Zhi (center) with Chinese and Liberians working on the SSC Project
well. We will bring some produce for display on UN Day.”
Th i r t y - e i g h t y ( 3 8 )
young Liberian agricultural
entrepreneurs, including recent university graduates and
extension staff are currently
working with the Chinese in
the application of modern
methods of fishery, animal
husbandry, crop and tuber
3
production, and agro machinery operations/maintenance.
Under the Standard
Tripartite Agreement, the
technicians including agronomists, agro machinery operators, aquaculture specialists,
animal experts, horticulturists,
engineers, and advisors
arrived in Liberia 3rd June
2012 to perform technical,
knowledge-sharing, and skills-
transfer roles with Liberians
for the next two years. FAO,
the Governments of Liberia,
and the People‟s Republic of
China in November 2011
signed the US$ 1, 213, 168m
project titled “Technical Assistance Under the South-South
Cooperation (SSC) with the
Government of the People‟s
Republic of China.
Summary of Activities of South-South Cooperation Project in Liberia
Chinese Introducing New Ideas, Crops
Working with Liberian agro entrepreneurs, extension workers, local farmers.
Insect attracter with a
suspended electric bulb
at Center Songhai
C
hinese experts working on the
Government of Liberia, Government of China, and the FAO-supported
South-South Corporation Project in
Bomi, Montserrado, and Bong Counties
are introducing new crops, ideas, and
methodologies in Liberian agriculture.
“The aim here is to introduce diversity
for increased production in agriculture.
Our Liberian counterparts (extension
workers) are practicing in the field
through demo sites what they were told
in class,” said Chen Liangyuan, team
leader at Center Songhai Liberia Initiative near Bensonville, Montserrado
County.
Mr Liangyuan continued: “We
have brought new varieties of crops from
China: sweet pepper, seedless water
melon, hybrid lowland rice, string beans,
mung beans, cucumber, sponge gourd,
and pumpkins.” The Chinese agro expert
said Liberia‟s climate was right for a
vibrant agriculture and they were teaching Liberians how to work with whatever
available materials they‟ve got. “We have
introduced new ways of producing
organic fertilizer using a concoction of
decayed pig dung, grass, and ash and
applying them at different points of the
planting cycle.”
In the absence of pesticides, the
Chinese have also introduced the nocturnal (nighttime) insect attracter using a
bucket full of water and a lit electric bulb
to attract insects into the water where the
pests get drown instead of destroying the
crops. “These insects also destroy crops
at night but once the light bulb is shinning
they are attracted to the light. Seeing the
shadow of the bright light under the water
in the bucket, the insects want to reach
the shadow below the water, that‟s when
they get drown and crops are saved.”
Liberian
extension
workers
confirmed the introduction of new ideas
by the Chinese. “We don‟t throw urine
away here anymore. We collect the pepe
water and use it to fertilize the soil. The
whole idea is about fermentation during
which the urine is collected in buckets
overtime and kept for about a week for
the acid content to reduce. A bit of water
is then added and applied to nursery and
transplanted fields. It works fine, more like
fertilizer,” said Peter D. Gbawoquiya of
the Klay site in Bomi County.
SSC project empowering Liberians
T
he Tumutu, CARI, Klay, and CSLI
are sites where the Chinese cooperants are assigned, daily transferring
knowledge to Liberians and training
them in agro-machinery operations and
maintenance, fishery, vegetable and
rice production, and how to apply fertilizer to gardens and irrigation equipments for farming.
Wang Anhua, Chinese team
leader at CARI, said: „„We are working
with Liberians to improve agriculture
together through knowledge transfer.‟‟
Makanvee Barwee, a graduate of the Booker Washington Institute
Accelerated Program, said: „„I am very
happy about being here learning new
ideas
in
the Liberians at the Tumutu site
vegetable field of
agriculture.‟‟ She
applauded Government of Liberia, FAO, and the
China for the
opportunity
to
benefit
fr om
such a rewarding
program.
She
hoped to acquire
new skills in
vegetable production to enable her Coordinator of the South-South Project,
grow her own food and teach other admonished the Liberian farmers and
Liberians become better farmers.
ext ension w ork er s t o
r em ain
Zubah F. Gorvego, National focused.
For Details on the work of FAO, please contact:
Mr. Jean-Alexandre Scaglia
FAO Representative in Liberia
2nd Floor - H & G Plaza - Sekour Toure Ave
Mamba Point, Monrovia
E-mail: [email protected]
4
3
Visit us @: www.fao.org
http://coin.fao.org/cms/world/liberia/Home.html
Produced By:
FAO (Liberia) Communications
Tel. +231776737521
November 2012