Bright Light Projects Sierra Leone (BLPSL) has completed its 2026 groundnut farming cycle at a 4.5-acre VSLA Smart Agriculture demonstration farm in Mano Community, Gbanti Chiefdom, Bombali District, marking another stage in efforts to link community savings with agricultural production and sustainable rural livelihood.
Community members joined the BLPSL team on September 24, 2026, to harvest the groundnuts following months of planting, weeding, monitoring and farm maintenance.
The farm is part of BLPSL’s VSLA Smart Agriculture Initiative, which builds on existing Village Savings and Loan Associations to help communities move beyond collective savings into productive agriculture, household income generation and rural enterprise.
BLPSL’s engagement with communities in the area dates back to 2016, when the organisation supported vulnerable children and families affected by the Ebola crisis through its Mend the Gap schooling programme.
That intervention later led to the establishment of BLP Mothers’ Clubs to strengthen caregivers and family support systems. In 2023, the organisation introduced Village Savings and Loan Associations to promote savings, financial literacy and access to community-based credit.
The VSLA Smart Agriculture Initiative is the latest phase of that community development process, connecting established savings groups with agricultural production rather than creating entirely new structures.
In Mano Community, the Chief and other community stakeholders provided farmland for the demonstration project, while residents participated throughout the farming cycle, including planting, weeding, monitoring and harvesting.
The initiative also aligns with Sierra Leone’s broader agricultural development agenda under Feed Salone, particularly efforts aimed at improving agricultural productivity, food security, climate-smart farming, access to finance and economic opportunities for women and young people.
BLPSL has been engaging the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Bombali District as it develops the initiative, seeking to connect community farming activities with improved agricultural practices and the wider national push for sustainable food production.
Beyond increasing production, BLPSL intends to help organised rural communities gradually move from savings into production, aggregation, value addition, market participation and sustainable enterprise. The approach links community organisation and savings to farming, harvesting, reinvestment and eventual rural business development.
Following the groundnut harvest, BLPSL is strengthening its monitoring and accountability system to measure the results of the farming cycle. The organisation is documenting the quantity of seed distributed, number of participating farmers, acreage cultivated, total harvest, yield per acre, seed retained for future planting and how the harvested produce is eventually used.
According to BLPSL, the information gathered will enable the organisation and participating communities to assess the performance of the initiative and make informed decisions about future farming cycles.
With the groundnut season completed, attention is now shifting to cassava production. BLPSL is exploring opportunities with VSLA members and stakeholders in Mano and Rosint communities, with plans to eventually connect production with improved planting materials, climate-smart agricultural practices, processing, value addition and access to markets.
The move comes as agricultural development programmes continue to support cassava and other value chains in Sierra Leone. A Sustainable Food and Agricultural Value Chains Development programme is supporting cassava, infant food and palm oil value chains, while Welthungerhilfe, in partnership with GIZ Sierra Leone, is implementing cassava-related activities in Bo and Bombali districts focusing on nutrition awareness, local production and consumption, processing and inclusive market participation.
BLPSL believes such developments could provide opportunities for established community organisations, including VSLAs, to become part of the wider agricultural value chain emerging around cassava and other crops in Bombali District.
The organisation therefore views cassava not simply as the next crop, but as part of a longer-term strategy that could take communities from production to aggregation, value addition, market participation and sustainable rural enterprise.
BLPSL describes the approach as its “Community Resilience Pathway – From Vulnerability to Sustainable Livelihoods,” recognising that lasting community development requires sustained engagement rather than a single project cycle.
Its work in Bombali has progressively moved from supporting vulnerable children and families to organising caregivers through Mothers’ Clubs, establishing savings groups and connecting those groups with agricultural production.
BLPSL hopes lessons and evidence generated from Mano and Rosint will eventually guide the responsible expansion of the VSLA Smart Agriculture model to other communities across the five chiefdoms in Bombali District where the organisation has established relationships.
For Mano Community, the 2026 groundnut harvest therefore marks more than the completion of another farming season. It represents a further step in a development process aimed at helping rural communities use their savings, local institutions, farmland and collective participation to build stronger and more sustainable livelihoods.
