The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has commended the Liberian Government over its efforts and strides to transform the nation’s agriculture sector.
FAO Representative to Liberia, Mariatou Njie, said the transformation of Liberia’s agriculture sector is a clear demonstration of the government’s commitment to achieving food sufficiency in in the country.
The FAO official made the statement in Monrovia at the launch of the Liberia Policy Effectiveness Analysis to Improve Resource Allocation, Investment and Capacity Development Decisions in Support of the Food and Nutrition Security Impact Resilience Sustainability and Transformation (FIRST).
Njie observed that the human, social and economic cost to society as a whole are numerous in terms of loss of productive activities, health, wellbeing, increasing learning ability and reduced fulfillment of human potential.
She disclosed that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Two, which seeks to “End hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture is at the heart of FAO and the European Union (EU) mandates.
She pointed out that supporting countries to achieve this goal through the creation of enabling policies and institutional environment for food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture is the primary focus of FIRST’s policy assistance facility.
Njie maintained that FIRST represents a strategic partnership between FAO and the EU, therefore, the EU has made an investment of US$8 billion in over 60 countries since 2014 to 2020, while FAO is providing technical assistance to create more enabling policies and institutional environment so that investments made by governments, EU and other partners will have more direct and tangible impact on the people.
The FAO official revealed that FIRST started in Liberia in 2016 and so far has facilitated the development of the Liberia Agriculture Investment Plan through a series of stakeholders’ consultative meetings.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Section on Resilience Cooperation of the EU delegation to Liberia, Ivan Borisavljevic, has said that the EU will continue to support the food and nutrition security of the Ministry of Agriculture, noting that food security is vital to any nation.
Borisavljevic stated that plan is underway to sign for another program which is intended to build the capacity of the Ministry technically to strengthen food security in Liberia.
LINA