Agriculture in Sierra Leone

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A farmer with his rice harvest in Sierra Leone Sierra Leone rice farmer.jpg
A farmer with his rice harvest in Sierra Leone

Agriculture in Sierra Leone is a significant part of the economy of Sierra Leone, with it accounting for 58 percent national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2007. [1] Two-thirds of the population of Sierra Leone are involved in subsistence agriculture. [2]

Contents

The agricultural sector grew by about 14 percent in 2007, led by crops, and five percent in 2008. [1] Despite this growth the country is a net importer of food; [1] for example, in 2004 19,000 tonnes of rice was imported. [3]

Economic value

Agriculture accounts for more than half of Sierra Leone's GDP, 58.5% in 2007. [1] It is the largest employer, with 80 percent of the population working in the sector [4] and two thirds of the population involved in subsistence agriculture. [2] In 2007 the sector grew by 14 percent, led by crops and by five percent in 2008. [1]

Sierra Leone is not self-sufficient in food. [1] Food is one of Sierra Leone's biggest imports. [1] Agricultural exports in 2006 accounted for 4 percent of total exports worth more than six million US dollars with cocoa being the biggest export, accounting for more than 5 million US dollars of this. [4]

Agricultural products

West African Dwarf goats given to villages in the Kabala area of Sierra Leone as aid in the aftermath of the civil war to help increase income Kabala goats.jpg
West African Dwarf goats given to villages in the Kabala area of Sierra Leone as aid in the aftermath of the civil war to help increase income

Rice

Rice is the most important staple crop in Sierra Leone with 85 percent of farmers cultivating rice during the rainy season [5] and an annual consumption of 76 kg per person. [3] In 2004 an area of 2,100 km2 (810 sq mi) was cultivated for rice producing an annual yield of 265,000 t. [3] Rice is grown in three different ecologies, mangrove swamp rice, upland rice and deepwater rice. With around 200 km2 (77 sq mi) of land in deepwater rice cultivation Sierra Leone is the main area for tropical deepwater rice. [5]

Cassava

The second staple food grown across the country is cassava with an annual yield of 350,000t in 2006. [6] The main areas of production are in the south-west, central and far north. [6] The main problems with cassava cultivation include disease and pests. Major diseases are the cassava mosaic disease and cassava bacterial blight, which have the greatest economic impact, cassava brown leaf spot, cassava anthracnose, and white thread fungus. [7]

Other major food crops

Other major annual food crops include sorghum, maize, millet, sweet potato and groundnut. [8]

Plantation cash crops

The main tree crop is the oil palm, used for its perennial fruit, that can be processed into palm oil and sap which is turned into palm wine. The other main perennial crops are citrus, sugarcane, cocoa, coffee, and coconut. [9]

Livestock

Numbers of livestock
Livestock1984 [10] 2002 [11] 2005 [11]
Cattle333,181100,000200,000
Sheep264,000200,000375,000
Goats145,000250,000450,000
Pigs20,00035,000
Chicken4,000,0005,200,000
Domestic ducks300,000500,000
Domestic rabbits5,0007,000

Common livestock in Sierra Leone are cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and poultry. [10] The civil war seriously depleted the level of livestock in the country, although numbers have recovered since the end of the war in 2002. Most cattle are of the trypanotolerant N'Dama breed and problem diseases include contagious bovine pleuropneumonia. [10]

Cattle are found in the north of the country and farming is dominated by the Fula ethnic group who own the majority of cattle in the country and often manage cattle owned by other groups. [11] Poultry farming consists mainly of chickens, with some guinea fowl and Muscovy ducks. [11]

Sheep are found across the whole of the country and are of the dwarf Djallonke breed. [11] Goats are of the West African Dwarf breed. They are found all over the country but 60 percent live in the Northern Province. The breeds of sheep and goats are hardy, able to survive the rigorous environment and are resistant to the trypanosomiasis disease. The West African Dwarf goats can survive on grazing alone all year, even in the dry season, without the need for additional feed. [12] Diseases that effect the sheep and goats include foot rot, internal parasites and heartwater. [13]

Governance

Agricultural development is a priority for the Government of Sierra Leone and falls under the remit of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security. On 22 September 2009 Sierra Leone signed the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) compact, agreeing to raise the percentage of the budget spent and agriculture to 10 percent. In 2007 the percentage of the budget spent on agriculture was 1.7 percent but this had increased to 9.9 percent in 2010. [14] [15]

Related Research Articles

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The economy of Sierra Leone is $4.082 billion by gross domestic product as of 2018. Since the end of the Sierra Leone Civil War in 2002, the economy is gradually recovering with a gross domestic product growth rate between 4 and 7%. In 2008 it in PPP ranked between 147th by World Bank, and 153rd by CIA, largest in the world.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pastoral farming</span> Method for producing livestock

Pastoral farming is aimed at producing livestock, rather than growing crops. Examples include dairy farming, raising beef cattle, and raising sheep for wool. In contrast, arable farming concentrates on crops rather than livestock. Finally, mixed farming incorporates livestock and crops on a single farm. Some mixed farmers grow crops purely as fodder for their livestock; some crop farmers grow fodder and sell it. In some cases pastoral farmers are known as graziers, and in some cases pastoralists. Pastoral farming is a non-nomadic form of pastoralism in which the livestock farmer has some form of ownership of the land used, giving the farmer more economic incentive to improve the land. Unlike other pastoral systems, pastoral farmers are sedentary and do not change locations in search of fresh resources. Rather, pastoral farmers adjust their pastures to fit the needs of their animals. Improvements include drainage, stock tanks, irrigation and sowing clover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congolese cuisine</span> Food and drink of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The cuisine of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo varies widely, representing the food of indigenous people. Cassava, fufu, rice, plantain and potatoes are generally the staple foods eaten with other side dishes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Nigeria</span> Overview of agriculture in Nigeria

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Benin</span>

Benin is predominantly a rural society, and agriculture in Benin supports more than 70% of the population. Agriculture contributes around 35% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and 80% of export income. While the Government of Benin (GOB) aims to diversify its agricultural production, Benin remains underdeveloped, and its economy is underpinned by subsistence agriculture. Approximately 93% of total agricultural production goes into food production. The proportion of the population living in poverty is about 35.2%, with more rural households in poverty (38.4%) than urban households (29.8%). 36% of households depend solely upon agricultural (crop) production for income, and another 30% depend on crop production, livestock, or fishing for income.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N'Dama</span> Breed of cattle

N'Dama is a breed of cattle from West Africa. Other names for them include Boenca or Boyenca (Guinea-Bissau), Fouta Jallon, Djallonké or Djallonké cattle, Fouta Longhorn, Fouta Malinke, Futa, Malinke, Mandingo (Liberia), and N'Dama Petite (Senegal). Originating in the Guinea highlands, they are also found in southern Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, the Gambia, Mali, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. They are trypanotolerant, allowing them to be kept in tsetse fly-infested areas. They also show superior resistance to ticks and the diseases they carry and to Haemonchus contortus stomach worms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West African Dwarf goats</span> West African breed of goat

The West African Dwarf is a large and variable breed or group of breeds of domestic goat from coastal West and Central Africa, a range extending approximately from Senegal to Congo. It is characterised by achondroplasia or dwarfism, a trait that may have evolved in response to conditions in the humid forests of the area, and also by some degree of resistance to tsetse-borne trypanosomiasis or "sleeping-sickness".

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in the Republic of the Congo</span>

Agriculture in the Republic of the Congo is mostly at the subsistence level. Self-sufficiency in food production is yet to be achieved. Cassava (manioc) is the basic food crop everywhere in the country except in the southern region, where bananas and plantains are prevalent. Among the cash crops, the most important are sugarcane and tobacco, though palm kernels, cacao, and coffee are also cultivated to some extent. The main consumption crops are bananas, manioc, peanuts, plantains, sugarcane, and yams. Subsistence agriculture is the country's most significant employer, and it is one of the three most important economic sectors. With the government's efforts since 1987, agricultural production has increased due to "abolishing state marketing boards, freeing prices, launching new agricultural credit institutions and closing down most state farms". The Niari Valley in the south is a notable agricultural area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agriculture in Liberia</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staple food</span> Food that is eaten routinely and considered a dominant portion of a standard diet

A staple food, food staple, or simply a staple, is a food that is eaten often and in such quantities that it constitutes a dominant portion of a standard diet for a given person or group of people, supplying a large fraction of energy needs and generally forming a significant proportion of the intake of other nutrients as well. A staple food of a specific society may be eaten as often as every day or every meal, and most people live on a diet based on just a small number of food staples. Specific staples vary from place to place, but typically are inexpensive or readily available foods that supply one or more of the macronutrients and micronutrients needed for survival and health: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, and vitamins. Typical examples include tubers and roots, grains, legumes, and seeds. Among them, cereals, legumes, tubers, and roots account for about 90% of the world's food calories intake.

A trypanotolerant organism is one which is relatively less affected by trypanosome infestation.

References

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