The Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations, with support from the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, last week ended a four-day phase two of a Blended Learning Program on Responsible Agriculture Investment (RAI) at the Farmington Hotel, Roberts International Airport (RIA). The blended learning session, which was held on the theme, “Creating an Enabling Environment for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems”, brought together about forty participants drawn from government ministries of Agriculture, Commerce and Justice, Departments of Forestry and agriculture investment agencies from both Liberia and Sierra Leone. Facilitators came from FAO’s headquarters in Rome and Johannesburg, South Africa.
During the opening session, one of the leading facilitators who doubles as the Capacity Development Officer at FAO, Chiara Nicodemi, said the second phase of the blended learning program on Responsible Agriculture Investment (RAI) followed the first phase of online learning. In her overview of the four-day learning session, she said the program aims to enhance the capacities of government authorities in facilitating and promoting responsible agriculture investments in sustainable way by building on skills acquired during the first phase to strengthen and consolidate skills to enable participants from Liberia and Sierra Leone to refine roadmaps and ensure they are fully equipped to translate knowledge acquired into concrete action.
The key objective of the blended learning program was geared towards deepening knowledge on the principles for responsible investment in agriculture and food systems, assess the countries’ processes and activities related to RAI, identify challenges, solutions and priorities, building networks, committing to behavioural changes and developing action plans for achieving more responsible investments in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Key among the learning sessions during the four-day Blended Learning Program were presentation of updates on phase one action plan, inclusive policymaking for change, stakeholders mapping, group presentation of country discussion on the application of RAI, establishment of a multi-stakeholders platform, environmental protection issues in relation to agriculture, presentation of Liberia’s case on data management system.
Presenting action plan on behalf of the Liberian team, Meo D. Beyan, the Assistant Minister for Commercial Transactions, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Justice, said the overall objective of the country’s draft plan of action focuses on “establishment of a functional and sustainable multi-sectorial platform on responsible agriculture investment, empowering youths to engage in RAI and mainstream RAI principles in designing, implementing and monitoring of agricultural investments”. In the plan, the team enlisted activities ranging from review of existing policies to developing RAI checklist for agriculture projects at design stage, among others.
On behalf of the Sierra Leone team, Engineer Gorge Rogerson, Ministry of Country Planning and Environment, presented his country’s action plan on RAI. The objective focused on “establishing and operationalizing a central environmental data management system and enhancing active youth participation in agri-entrepreneurship with activities, including the conduct of a nationwide consultation on youth investment in agriculture, national mapping of youth in agriculture programs and proffering solutions, establishing four incubator centers, proposal development and organizing youths into cooperatives.
Marking the closure of the session were ministers of Agriculture, Internal Affairs and Justice. In his remarks, the Minister of Internal Affairs, Varney Sirleaf, called on all the participants to support application of the principles of responsible agriculture investment to improve the sector, which is the country’s main source of economic development. He urged line ministries, departments and agencies, including development partners in the sector, to work together with the Internal Affairs Ministry in making sure that Liberia succeeds in its food security drive.
Speaking at the closing session of the workshop, the FAO Country Representative, Mariatou Njie, reechoed that responsible agriculture investment is an all-stakeholders’ affairs that requires all hands-on deck, meaning the government, inter-governmental and regional organizations, financing institutions, universities and extension organizations, small holder farmers and their organizations, business enterprises, civil society organizations, workers and their unions, communities and consumer groups are all needed to play active roles to achieve RAI.
“I am therefore encouraged by the number and multiplicity of stakeholders’ representation from various background in this learning session. More so the high level of your participation, commitment and quality of the action plans presented today,” said the FAOR. She added that the presentations “inspire us collectively, giving there are pathways to ensuring that investment in agriculture sector can occur in a conducive investment environment, wherein people will not infringe on the land, water and food rights of individuals, and rather contribute than deduct from the efforts towards a world free from hunger and malnutrition.
“The Agriculture and Natural Resources sector is a major player in the economy and key contributor towards meeting the country’s priority objectives and the first two Sustainable Development Goals–the eradication of hunger and poverty by 2030. The action plans therefore provided the necessary guidance on the areas in which actions should be concentrated in the sector in order to maximize outputs from investment by both the public and private sectors to ensure that the course of action being catered for policy are appropriate in terms of the country’s interest and capacities,” Njie maintained.
In conclusion, she reiterated FAO’s commitment to supporting Liberia and Sierra Leone more broadly in identifying ways to implement these plans, as she looks forward to receiving them with much interest.
In his official closing remarks of the four-day workshop, the Acting Minister of Agriculture for Planning and Development, Robert Fargans, applauded the Food and Agriculture Organize office in Liberia and its headquarters in Rome for the organization’s continued technical support to the sector in Liberia. The Deputy Minister for Planning and Development urged all sector actors to create the enabling environment to promote responsible agriculture investment and food systems in both Liberia and Sierra Leone.