PHOTO ABOVE: Project site & Africa Rice Country Representative Dr. Akintayo and teams
By Emmanuel Mafelah,mafelahemmanuel29@gmail.com
GBARNGA, Liberia- Africa Rice Liberia Smart Valley Innovation Project under the SAWAH system has been extended up to December of this year, according to its organization’s Country Representative in Liberia.
The SAWAH System is a low-cost participatory development approach for rice cultivation in inland valleys in Liberia.
Dr. Innosa Akintayo, the Country Representative of Africa Rice Liberia said the project, which was expected to end in September, has now been extended for three months due to the improvement of farmers in the targeted Counties.
The Africa Rice Country Representative to Liberia was speaking at a day-long ceremony recently, when he lauded Bong County Agriculture Coordinator Kollie K. Nahn, the Regional Agriculture coordinator for Bong, Lofa and Nimba Counties Moses Gbanyan including farmers for supporting the project.
He told the gathering that the goal of the SMART-VALLEYS project is to improve the livelihood and food security of rice producers by augmenting and securing rice production in inland valleys through improved land and water management and improved agronomic practices and to achieve augmented and stable yields through improved site-specific agronomic practices.
Dr. Akintayo narrated that the project also gears towards improving inland valley rice production of smallholder farmers through area expansion and increased productivity in the target countries.
Dr. Innosa Akintayo has meanwhile underscored the importance of the SAWAH system of rice production in Liberia.
The system focuses on the Bonding of plots of similar height, Ploughing, puddling and leveling of plots, Provide inlet for irrigation and outlet for drainage.
He explained that Sawah is a man-made, improved rice-growing environment with demarcated, bonded, leveled, and puddled fields, for water control and has been tested in several Africa Countries to include Mali, Cote d’ Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo, Nigeria, Ghana amongst others
For their part, the County Agriculture Coordinator of Bong County Kollie K. Nahn and Regional Agriculture coordinator for Bong, Lofa and Nimba Counties Moses R.Gbanyan thanked Africa Rice Liberia for advancing farming activities in the three targeted Counties.
They said due to Africa Rice involvement in the Liberian Agriculture sector, farmers are greatly making impact in their various Counties in terms of productivity.
Some of the farmers who spoke to www.newspublictrust.com in Bong County thanked Africa Rice for the extension of the Smart Valley Innovation project in the three counties.
The farmers explained that through Africa Rice Liberia they have over the years made numerous gains in their various Counties through low land rice production.
During the ceremony, the farmers recommended that a good policies be made to support the rice industry and Support for farmers, enhance the capacities of researchers of Ministry of Agriculture, Adoption of integrated nutrient management systems ( use of mineral fertilizers, organic fertilizers, rotations, combinations, etc.).
They also recommended Modified land tenure systems that are user-friendly, Adoption of effective, low input and low cost soil and water managements systems (e. g. “sawah” system) and there should be a good agronomic practices in the Country.