A Flagging Off Ceremony was held on Wednesday 23 April 2025 at the World Food Programme (WFP) Kissy warehouse, to mark the dispatch of locally produced rice and pulses procured with support from the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MBSSE) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for the Term 3, 2025/2026 school year. The event celebrated the collaboration between WFP and the Government of Sierra Leone, while recognizing the critical role of smallholder farmers in sustaining the Feed Salone strategy.
In 2025, with support from donors, including Germany, Iceland, Japan and the World Bank Funded Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP), WFP will procure over 40,000 (50kg) bags of locally produced rice and pulses from 8,355 smallholder farmers across seven districts, feeding of 270,000 school children. The Home-Grown School Feeding programme not only ensures that children receive nutritious and diversified meals but also supports local farmers by creating a stable market for their produce. In addition, selected schools are purchasing vegetables and Orange Fleshed Sweet Potatoes directly from women farmers groups, using funds transferred from WFP.
In her remarks, WFP Representative and Country Director, Ms. Yvonne Forsén emphasized the paradigm shift from imported to local rice. “More than 30 percent of the food we serve in schools today is grown right here in Sierra Leone. This represents a meaningful shift to empowering local farmers and strengthening the rural economy. And it’s a shift we are committed to accelerate,” she said.
On behalf of the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Deputy Minister 1 ,Emile Gogra, called for increasing the capacity of smallholder farmers to produce more local rice for the home-grown school feeding programme, while the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka praised the Feed Salone strategy for enhancing food security and farmer livelihoods. “We had envisioned under the Feed Salone Strategy that the country can feed itself; WFP is showing us today that it can be done and that our farmers are ready. So, MAFS supported WFP this year to purchase rice and pulses, to feed the children in supported schools,” he said.
As the trucks loaded with food supplies departed Kissy warehouse for schools across the country, officials reaffirmed their commitment to expanding the programme further, aligning with the Government’s Feed Salone strategy to combat hunger and malnutrition.
With this expansion, Sierra Leone continues to demonstrate how local solutions can drive national development, ensuring a brighter future for its children and farmers alike.
