A training session on composting, Nimba County © FAO

Monrovia - Smallholder farmers are at the forefront of transforming our agri-food systems.

FAO conducted a series of participatory on-farm trainings to empower rural smallholder producers and boost their capabilities in sustainable production, value addition, and marketing capacities,

The first training session occurred at Central Agriculture Research Institute (CARI) in Bong County on 12-15 December 2023, with 21 participations, including 18 vegetable out-growers and staff from the Ministry of Agriculture and CARI staff from the Post-harvest department, joining from Bong, Margibi, and Nimba Counties. The second training session was held from 27 to 30 December 2023 at the Say No to Hunger Farmers Model Garden in Nimba County, together with a total of 20 participants, comprising 15 vegetable out-growers, 3 technicians, and 2 lead farmers.

The training was strategically designed to address critical constraints faced by smallholder producers, emphasizing intensive vegetable production, harvest, post-harvest handling, and effective marketing. Specifically, the hands-on sessions on productive crop husbandry techniques.

Training one topics at CARI included:

• Types of vegetables
• Improving post-harvest practices
• How and when to harvest
• Agriculture marketing information system
• Agriculture information flow
• Price discovery and dissemination systems
• Marketing principle, market segmentation
• Using new Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and Media to link market and agrifood actors

Training Two topics in Nimba included:

• Pre-production considerations
• Site selection for production
• Selection of planting materials
• Germination test
• Nursery preparation
• Land preparation and field layout
• Transplanting operations
• Field maintenance
• Irrigation (watering)
• Weed management
• Pest and disease management
• Agro-Eco-System Analysis (AESA)
• Soil characteristics and soil fertility management
• Plant nutrition
• Fertilizers and composting

As part of the training also focused on composting and compost production, utilizing crop residues and animal wastes for improved and effective nutrient cycling.

Participatory and practical on-farm learning

Importantly, the training employed the farmer field school approach, prioritizing practical demonstrations and experiential learning over conventional lectures. The participatory nature of the training also enabled the participants to interact with each other for mutual learning.

The impacts of the training, synergized with other interventions at both the community and policy levels, are anticipated to extend far beyond the project's duration. They would contribute to the sustainability of the country’s agrifood systems, benefiting the livelihoods and nutrition of smallholder farmers.

About the project

The training sessions were organized under the FAO’s Technical Cooperation Project “Enhancing the National Abattoir System and Strengthening the Productive Capacity of rural smallholder producers" in line with its Outcome 2, which aims to bolster smallholders' capacities by integrating high-value vegetable production with poultry in model gardens across multiple counties in Liberia. The project targets approximately 1,000 rural women and youth across Margibi County, Bong County, and Nimba County. Since the inception of the project, FAO has extended its technical support for the production of high-value vegetables integrated with poultry at two model gardens – Cinta in Margibi County, and Totota in Bong County, and additional vegetable gardens in Tumutu, Bong County, and Salayea, Lofa County.