Sierra Leone's position on food insecurity in the Sahel region
After the civil war, which ended in 2002, Sierra Leone has been plagued with malnutrition, poverty and hunger, which further threatened peace and security in the region for many years. In a report by the UNDP Development Index (2007), about 70 percent of Sierra Leone’s population in 2004 was below the poverty line with 52 percent living on less than US$1 per day. 24 percent of the population could not afford minimum daily calorific requirements. In 2008, Sierra Leone was faced with the issue of rising food prices. The price of rice, the main staple food in Sierra Leone had increased by more than 50% on average in the entire country. So it is safe to say that Sierra Leone was faced with the same problem that the neighboring region of Sahel is facing: that of food insecurity. However with the help of comprehensive plans like the Smallholder Commercialization Programme
Investment Plan and the “Operation Feed the Nation” which was a food security program initiated by the government and supported by the Food and Agricultural Organization, Sierra Leone’s situation improved considerably.
The main factor responsible for the improvement was the increased attention to infrastructure. Through the development of feeder roads the farmers were able to reach urban areas easily to sell their produce. The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper also consisted of the Smallholder Commercialization Programme, which included the setting up of Agricultural Business Centres providing a range of technical, operational and marketing services. A Monitoring and Evaluation program was also set up. A key lesson drawn from the program was that regular follow ups and field visits ensure the seriousness required on the part of contractors and their supervisors to produce expected results on a timely basis.
Actions that helped in mitigating the effect of high food prices on vulnerable households included re-introduction of school feeding in the Western Area, expansion of nutrition interventions as
Investment Plan and the “Operation Feed the Nation” which was a food security program initiated by the government and supported by the Food and Agricultural Organization, Sierra Leone’s situation improved considerably.
The main factor responsible for the improvement was the increased attention to infrastructure. Through the development of feeder roads the farmers were able to reach urban areas easily to sell their produce. The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper also consisted of the Smallholder Commercialization Programme, which included the setting up of Agricultural Business Centres providing a range of technical, operational and marketing services. A Monitoring and Evaluation program was also set up. A key lesson drawn from the program was that regular follow ups and field visits ensure the seriousness required on the part of contractors and their supervisors to produce expected results on a timely basis.
Actions that helped in mitigating the effect of high food prices on vulnerable households included re-introduction of school feeding in the Western Area, expansion of nutrition interventions as