Liberian Agricultural Sector Investment Plan (LASIP II).

This Liberian Agricultural Sector Investment Plan (LASIP II) is a nationwide sectoral document that reconfirms the commitment of Liberia - expressed through the first Investment Plan for Agriculture of 2010 - to substantially transform its agricultural sector in accordance with the global, continental, regional and national agricultural development agenda. The strategic long-term Vision for the agricultural sector is generally to promote an inclusive and sustainable agricultural transformation through investment in agricultural value chains and industrialization and resilience to ensure food and nutrition security, environmental health, job and wealth creation and inclusive growth for Liberians. 

The document adopts a twin-track approach to ensure that the investments are inclusive and do not discriminate against the specific needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups. In order to realize its Vision, LASIP II will need to achieve the following (i) ensure food and nutrition security of the population and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable populations and their livelihoods; (ii) diversify the economy through robust agricultural value chains and a modern industrial policy to increase production, productivity and incomes; (iii) improve research and extension services to support the transformation of agriculture; (iv) manage responsibly and sustainably the unique natural resources. To achieve the aforementioned, the country set out the following five strategic objectives (1) sustainably and reliably access adequate, nutritious, and needed food for utilization for healthy lives; (2) develop and support competitive value chains and market linkages; (3) strengthen agricultural extension, research and development for enhancing sustained productivity growth; (4) adopt agricultural practices that maintain the ecological and biological integrity of natural resources; (5) improve governance and institutional capacity to implement Programs and projects.

To increase the production, the main proposed interventions are (i) develop farm mechanization; (ii) support the development of Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services (AEAS) system; (iii) strengthen public-private partnership and farmers capacity for technology adoption and upscale; (iv) promote mechanization and irrigation; (v) support the implementation of climate smart agricultural production techniques.

To achieve the objective of sustainable and reliable access to adequate, nutritious, and needed food for healthy lives, the proposed activities are (i) conduct a national comprehensive food security and nutrition survey; (ii) establish food and nutrition security information and monitoring system; (iii) improve emergency preparedness, response and contingency; (iv) promote and support food diversification; (v) support local production and consumption of micro nutrients; (vi) promote access to safe drinking water, sanitation, nutritional caring practices and education.

The environmental protection is also part of the of the Plan and includes (i) support the conservation of forest areas, watersheds, and wetlands, and sustainable environmental friendly farming practices; (ii) combat desertification and conserve biological diversity; (iii) promote proven best practices and measures that support natural resource management (forest protection, land use and sustainable farming, sustainable energy utilization, water bodies and marine protection; (iv) Support climate change-related research, education and training; (v) promote the scale up of best practices through the dissemination of information on climate smart technologies to small farmers; (vi) support the propagation and use of high-quality seeds and seedlings that are climate resistant, as well as diversification of climate smart high value crops.

An inclusive economic and social growth will be achieved through (i) social protection for vulnerable people; (ii) access to farmland for the poor and vulnerable; (iii) access to appropriate productive resources and inputs for the poor and vulnerable; (iv) mainstreaming of nutrition into agricultural programs with strong gender sensitivity; (v) creation of an enabling environment for public and private institutions for increased investments in agriculture; (vi) farm-to-market roads to link major production areas to markets, as well as processing and storage facilities at strategic locations; (vii) development of agribusinesses along commodity chains; (viii) access to credit for actors along the agricultural value chain; (ix) public/private sectors partnership in research activities; (x) sustainable and gender sensitive use of natural resources.

As for Governance, the main intervention at institutional level shall regard (i) strengthen coordination mechanism for mutual accountability; (ii) improve governance and institutional capacity to implement programs and projects; (iii) operationalize central M&E system at the MOA; (iv) strengthen capacity of institutions; (v) Support technical and human capacities of institutions.