The organization cites grassroots rice-farming initiatives in Grand Cape Mount County and raises concerns over an agricultural proposal it says has gone unanswered for about a year.
By Patience Jones
Monrovia — The OMNIA Institute for Contextual Leadership–Liberia is urging the government and its agricultural partners to ensure that investments aimed at reducing food insecurity reach community farmers already working to increase local food production.
The organization’s appeal follows reports that the Liberian Government is seeking US$243 million in investment to boost domestic rice production and reduce the country’s dependence on imported rice.
While welcoming efforts to mobilize resources for agriculture, OMNIA Liberia said securing investment commitments alone would not guarantee food security unless existing community-led initiatives receive the technical, financial and material support needed to expand production.
In a statement issued by its National Coordinator, William U.B. Lloyd Jr., the organization said local farmers were already organizing, cultivating and developing practical responses to food insecurity despite limited resources.
It argued that government agricultural policies and large-scale investment plans should complement these grassroots efforts rather than overlook the communities already contributing to domestic food production.
Community Farmers Take the Lead
Through its Interfaith Peacemaker (IP) Teams, OMNIA Liberia works with communities to address shared challenges through collective action and locally driven initiatives.
In Gohn and Bambala in Grand Cape Mount County, the organization said its teams have been mobilizing farmers and supporting a transition from upland farming to lowland rice cultivation.
Similar initiatives are underway in Blamacee, where community-led agricultural activities are intended to increase food production and farmers’ incomes while reducing pressure on forests associated with slash-and-burn farming practices.
In Gohn, approximately 54 farmers directly involved with the IP Team are working across six hectares of land under a lowland rice cultivation initiative.
According to OMNIA Liberia, the project has involved soil testing, agricultural training, engagement with the Ministry of Agriculture and the development of local infrastructure to support farming activities.
The organization described the initiative as an example of what communities can achieve through collective action, even when access to resources is limited.
However, it warned that such initiatives could struggle to reach their full potential without stronger institutional support and partnerships that respond to farmers’ practical needs.
Organization Raises Concern Over Unanswered Proposal
OMNIA Liberia said it had previously submitted proposals seeking assistance for community farming initiatives and facilitated visits by Ministry of Agriculture representatives to project sites.
However, the organization reported that a proposal submitted approximately one year ago had yet to receive a substantive response.
The statement did not provide details about the proposal’s specific budget or the amount of assistance requested.
OMNIA Liberia said its concern was not with the government’s efforts to mobilize agricultural investment, but with whether farmers already working to address food insecurity would have a fair opportunity to benefit from the resources secured.
It said community farmers and voluntary IP Team members were contributing their time, local knowledge, energy and organizational capacity to agricultural initiatives aligned with the country’s food security objectives.
The organization called for a more responsive relationship between government institutions and community-based agricultural groups, including clearer communication on how proposals are assessed and what applicants must do to qualify for assistance.
Calls for Technical Assistance, Equipment and Financing
OMNIA Liberia said grassroots farmers require more than encouragement to sustain and expand their work.
It identified technical assistance, improved farming inputs, equipment, financing and agricultural extension services as key areas where government and development partners could provide support.
The organization also called for recognition and encouragement of community volunteers and local leaders whose participation helps sustain agricultural initiatives.
It urged the Ministry of Agriculture and relevant development partners to establish a clear process through which community organizations can submit proposals, receive feedback and understand the requirements for accessing support.
Such a mechanism, the organization argued, could improve coordination between national agricultural priorities and local initiatives while helping community farmers identify opportunities to expand production.
OMNIA Liberia maintained that stronger institutional engagement would allow government and development partners to build on existing community efforts rather than treating grassroots initiatives as separate from national agricultural development plans.
Food Security Requires Partnerships
The organization said reducing food insecurity requires coordinated efforts involving government leadership, international investors, private-sector participation and community initiatives.
While acknowledging the importance of large-scale agricultural investment, OMNIA Liberia stressed that farmers in rural communities must also be included in plans to increase domestic food production.
It argued that existing farming initiatives offer opportunities to strengthen local production and demonstrate the potential of community-led agriculture when appropriate partnerships and resources are available.
The organization also maintained that Liberia does not need to wait for every proposed investment to materialize before supporting communities already prepared to cultivate land and increase food production.
For OMNIA Liberia, the effectiveness of the government’s agricultural investment drive should be assessed not only by the amount of funding mobilized but also by how effectively the resources reach farmers and strengthen their capacity to produce food.
“The question should not only be how much money Liberia can mobilize to reduce rice imports, but also how effectively that investment will reach the people cultivating the land and building solutions from the ground up,” Lloyd said.
He called for a stronger partnership between the government and organized community farmers to ensure that national food security efforts translate into practical benefits for rural communities.
The organization said supporting farmers who are already producing food could complement larger agricultural investments and contribute to Liberia’s broader efforts to reduce dependence on imported rice.
William U.B. Lloyd Jr. is the National Coordinator of the OMNIA Institute for Contextual Leadership–Liberia.