The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), through the World Bank-funded Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP), has awarded research grants to six scientists from the Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI). These grants will support adaptive farm research aimed at improving smallholder farmers’ productivity and increasing incomes across Sierra Leone.
The grant award ceremony took place on January 24, 2025, in Rokupr, Kambia District. Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Agriculture I, Dr. Theresa Tenneh Dick, expressed appreciation to the World Bank for its continued support. Reflecting on her personal experience, she noted that she had once benefited from a similar World Bank-funded initiative. She emphasized the critical role of smallholder farmers in ensuring food security, stating, “Smallholder farmers are the backbone of our food systems. The research supported through this grant will address critical challenges they face and provide solutions to boost productivity and income generation.”
Representing Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka, Dr. Dick reiterated the Ministry’s dedication to research, stating, “Under Dr. Kpaka’s leadership, we aim to transform SLARI into a center of excellence, delivering innovative technologies that empower smallholder farmers. Through this vision, we can truly achieve the goal of ‘Feed Salone.’”
The six researchers received grants to address key agricultural challenges, including:
- Operationalizing Cassava Flash Dryer for high-throughput processing of cassava products.
- Assessing dietary exposure and consumer awareness of major mycotoxins in Sierra Leone’s food supply.
- Engineering Biogas Systems to convert livestock waste into renewable energy, promoting sustainable waste management.
- Collecting and characterizing Mangrove Rice Germplasm for breeding and genetic resource conservation along communities in the Great Scarcies River.
- Applying Biochar to improve soil fertility and enhance cassava productivity on degraded lands.
- Promoting improved rice parboiling technology for mangrove rice processors in Sierra Leone.
The Director-General of SLARI, Dr. Abdul R. Conteh, commended FSRP for its investment in research, describing the initiative as crucial to addressing the challenges faced by smallholder farmers. He highlighted that the research projects cover diverse areas, all geared towards increasing agricultural productivity and sustainability. Dr. Conteh also emphasized the potential impact of SLARI’s collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), ensuring that research outcomes directly benefit farmers.
One of the grant recipients, 40-year-old Sofia Mansaray, is conducting research on converting cassava into flour. Her initiative aims to reduce Sierra Leone’s reliance on imported wheat flour by developing a locally produced alternative. “My research will help lower the cost of flour imports, enable Sierra Leone to produce its own flour, and make it more affordable for citizens,” Mansaray explained.
MAFS and FSRP have pledged to closely monitor the progress of the researchers to ensure their findings align with the Feed Salone vision, a national initiative aimed at enhancing food security and driving economic growth in Sierra Leone.
