Rice cultivation is very crucial in boosting the gross domestic product (GDP) of Sierra Leone especially when the country is a high importer of rice, a staple food that cost over $200 million annually. This is why AVDP is supporting the farmers with the necessary inputs and the need to adopt the right technologies so as to boost local rice production. Supporting smallholder farmers’ rice production is one of the objectives of the Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (AVDP). Currently, the project is at an advanced stage in completing the development of 1200 Ha of inland valley swamp (IVS) across 120 communities in the country. The IVS approach will ensure multiple cropping throughout the year while ensuring that farmers avoid the practice of slashing and burning that negatively affects the environment.

With the supply of improved seed rice, fertilizer, agricultural tools, and cost for labor, the project also provides extension services and agronomic practices to the farmers through the farmer field school (FFS) methodology facilitated by staff from the Ministry of Agriculture. The FFS methodology, which is a farmer lead on-site learning approach, also helped the farmers to practice gender equality in agriculture, group dynamics, and financial literacy, which will help them to make better decisions on how to improve their livelihoods and income.

The farmers are particularly encouraged to operate as groups linked with the IFAD-supported rural financial institutions in their communities to enable them to gain financial support and access to the market through the agricultural business centers.