By Samuel Brosius
The picture of fresh pepper on the cover of this report is not from a farm in a far away land, but is being grown in a garden in the Monrovia suburb of Bardnersville.
Patrick Cole, age 35 is a student at the state-owned University of Liberia who has over the years discovered the benefits of farming, since he has used tilling the soil to pay his tuition and support himself. The pepper is just one yield from an assortment of vegetables and fruits he cultivates on a small parcel of land.
“For now, this is serving as my source of income,” Patrick told www.newspublictrust.com recently.
A vast portion of Liberia’s 38,000 square kilometers is being covered with lush green vegetation, but many wonder yet this country continue to rely on food produce from abroad.
During the height of the Ebola Virus outbreak in the country, some Liberian lawmakers publically resisted a proposal to close the borders. Why? They said if that was done, the pepper, bitterball and other food crops will not be able to come in from neighbouring Guinea, Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone.
The Liberian government and the United Nations ILO say youth unemployment in Liberia is at an alarming rate. Statistics from LIGIS put the unemployment rate at between 75-85%, the bulk of whom are young people.
For Patrick, who is a junior student studying Mass Communication, farming has been his hobby for a number of years now since he discovered that he can get some financial independence and the fact that Liberia has a rich soil that is being left to waste.
“Many young Liberians have develop this sit and want attitude, which they believe government job is everything but this is no longer possible. Young people need to change their minds and engage in self-help initiatives through Agriculture, because Agriculture serves as engine to self-empowerment,” the young farmer said.
He said farming is one of the ways Liberians can reduce poverty and end the prolonged sufferings by engaging the soil.
He said the use of the soil has improved his living condition and provided him money to make his living while pursuing his studies, as he spends few hours during week-day after classes and his full time catering for his crops during weekends.
Student Cole said since his involvement in backyard gardening started some 3 years ago, with a concentration on vegetable and fruit production such as Cabbage, Tomatoes, Carless green, Paw-paw, Water Mallon, etc.
He said with professional advice from his senior brother and securing of the right kind of fertilizers, his production has been increasing on yearly basis.
The size of his garden has now been extended by a few acres of land including the swamp to ensure higher production and yield by next year.
Despite his passion for farming, student Cole said he faces a number of challenges
Among them he cited the lack of adequate farming tools, chemicals fight pest and seedlings.
Regarding marketing, the young enterprising farmer said because he is now known in the Bardnersville area for producing fresh crops, at harvest time market woman walk in his garden to buy and carry to sell.
Student Cole regretted that agriculture has been paid lip service by governments over the years as very little has been invested in the sector.
“Why should we have all this vast fertile land in this country and not be able to feed ourselves?” the young student farmer asked with disgust.
He said making maximum use of the agricultural sector is one key way of addressing the high youth unemployment situation confronting the country, if the current CDC-led government is serious about creating thousands of jobs.
In the meantime, Patrick Cole has advised his fellow young people in Liberians not to wait for jobs in government but rather engage the soil for self-empowerment.
“A famer never waits for month to end to get pay, you will always get money to settle your rent, pay school fees and get food in your house” he noted.
Just over the weekend, United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres said that said world hunger is on the rise, after a period of prolonged decline.