By Ruth Yeabu Sesay
More than half a million Sierra Leoneans will benefit from a $50M (fifty million) Grant from the International Development Association (IDA) under the second phase of the West Africa Regional Food Systems (FSRP-2) which has been approved by the World Bank. The information was made public through press release by the World Bank this month.
The aid is to support the country’s preparedness to combat food insecurity and improve the resilience of its food systems.
The World Bank Director for Regional Integration for Sub-Saharan, the Middle East and North Africa, Boutheina Guermazi, said “food insecurity is caused by many factors that are beyond national borders’’, and that it is good to see countries and institutions come together to implement this broad programme that will simultaneously increase agricultural productivity through climate-smart agriculture, promote intraregional value chains and trade and build regional capacity to manage agricultural risks”
The World Bank Country Director in Sierra Leone, Abdu Muwonge says “the additional financing is strong vehicle to address both immediate needs to mitigate the impact of the ongoing food security crisis as well as invest in productive capacities and critical infrastructure to strengthen the longer-term resilience of vulnerable populations to more frequent and severe economic and climate stocks”.
Agriculture is the instrument to achieving growth and alleviating poverty in the country but unfortunately it is currently characterized by low and stagnating productivity in key crops.
The press statement made it clear that the country’s staple food, rice in major producing areas average less than 1 metric tons per hectare.
Rice consumption stands at 185kg per year making it the 5th highest in the world, while the domestic demand for rice surpasses the domestic supply by 400,000 metric tons per year, therefore requiring imports valued at over 200,000 million per year.
The IDA, is a fund established in 1960 by the World Bank for the poorest countries. It provides loans for projects and programmes that boost economic growth, reduce poverty and improve the lives of people.
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