By: Josephine Nyeweah in Kenema district
Over 200 farmers mostly women in Bari and Makpele chiefdoms in Pujehun district, Malema chiefdom in Kailahun district, Nomo, Gaura, Tunkia, and Koya chiefdoms in Kenema district are benefiting from one acre each of plantation of various varieties including economic trees from (GEF) Global Environmental Fund through Mano River Union (MRU) to Gola Rainforest Conservation by Limited by Guarantee (GRCLG).
Fomba Amara Kanneh contact person for the Mano River Union (MRU) project and works for Gola Rainforest Conservation Limited by Guarantee (GRCLG).
He explained that before now GRCLG established seven demonstration farms in the seven Gola chiefdoms of the National park, with the aim of reforesting the community forests for national development.
He said the project ran out of support, fortunately, the MRU came in 2018 with full support aiding the project to establish demonstration farm sites in nine communities in the national park chiefdoms.
He described GEF, (NPAA) National Protected Area Authority, and MRU interventions to GRCLG and Welthungerhilfe (WHH) as timely and positive.
He said the project has provided capacity-building support to the staff of GRCLG by undergoing pieces of training at Njala University in the South and Eastern Technical University Sierra Leone in the east. In turn, the staff go into the communities and continue to train more farmers with the required knowledge and skills.
He said the project is supporting the farmers to plant more cocoa, plantain, banana, Avocado, pepper, and other economic crops among others.
He disclosed that at the national level the project came in in 2017 and the first training of staff took place at Njala University in 2020 which role over to the communities in April 2020 and it is continuing.
Sedía Karim is the National Coordinator for MRU and GEF project for Sierra Leone encourages the farmers and the communities to continue doing their best in project implementation even thereafter, and assured all of continuous support as long as the fund is available.
Abdulai Barrie Technical Advisor for MRU and GEF project Sierra Leone assured all of his technical advice in meeting the aim and objectives of the project at all times.
One of the female farmers Kpaka Nya James of Malema chiefdom Kailahun district expressed thanks and appreciation to GRCLG and it’s partners for the knowledge and support they are getting as farmers. She revealed that she is very happy to own a farm on her own a situation that was very impossible in the past. She called on GRCLG, MRU, GEF and partners to continue with more support for the farmers not only in Malema chiefdom but to more farmers in other chiefdoms in the Kailahun and other districts. She said she is gaining a lot from her farming activities.
