Solar-powered mobile farms bring game-changing solutions to rural Liberia
In rural Liberia, the agricultural sector has faced persistent challenges due to limited access to essential resources and infrastructure, including agricultural machinery, irrigation facilities, and reliable power sources, where the access rate to electricity remains at just 8 percent among the rural population in the country (World Bank, 2021).
Mobile farm solutions for rural farmers in Liberia
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Government of the United Arab Emirates and Elite Agro Holding, a UAE-based private company, has taken a significant step to address this issue by leveraging their respective strengths and resources.
The unique public and private partnership introduced a game-changing mobile farm units in Liberia for rural farmers. Divided into two compartments, one half of the mobile farm unit contains a cool storage unit capable of storing approximately 1.0 MT of fresh vegetables. The other compartment houses several lithium batteries powered by solar energy capable of irrigating approximately 2.5 hectares of farm plots. The introduction of mobile farm units guarantees year-round production of assorted vegetables facilitated by advanced irrigation technology, simultaneously relieving predominantly female farmers from the daily task of manually irrigating their fields. Additionally, the cool storage component effectively tackles post-harvest spoilage concerns by preserving freshly harvested vegetables before marketing.
During the handover ceremony, Mrs. Mama James, the Head of the God’s Favor Farmers in Cinta, a female-led vegetable producer group remarked in excitement, “We the women of Cinta are very happy to receive the new irrigation system that was given to us by FAO, Elite Agro, and the UAE government. With the new irrigation system, we and our children will not have to wake up early in the morning to water our vegetables. The machine will do it for us now. Also, we will not worry about our vegetables getting spoiled after harvesting. We will harvest and store them in the cool storage room (compartment) while we await buyers or sell them in the market later.” She concluded, “Without manually watering our garden daily, we will have more energy to grow more vegetables to sell and make more money.”
Public-private partnerships empowering farners
The tripartite public-private partnership among FAO, the UAE, and Elite Agro Holding, under the Project "Promoting Increased Resilience and Sustainable Income Generation, Food Security, and Nutrition for Rural Women," aims to promote the economic empowerment of rural women and enhance their resilience to shocks in Liberia. The project supports approximately 2,000 farmers in total across 24 farmer groups in six counties: Bong, Nimba, Lofa, Gbarpolu, Montserrado, and Margibi Counties. FAO has been providing technical support to promote sustainable and efficient practices, such as the cultivation of high-value vegetables, intensive poultry production (including eggs and meat), and the integration of lowland rice with inland fish farming. Elite Agro Holding adds its renewable energy solutions to support communal agricultural farms in Liberia, enhancing farmers' access to essential tools and facilities through their climate-smart innovative technology and design.
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