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Christoph Rosinger
Finding leverage points to improve the agricultural system in semi-rural areas in Sierra Leone
Shabka Background Nr. 7-2013
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Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world. Because of the weak development of the secondary and tertiary economical sector, approximately 70 percent of the country´s population are working in the agricultural sector. The country depends on imports to cover the demand on the staple food, which is rice. Domestic production covers around 70-75 percent, with imports making up the difference. Due to this fact, the price for rice is very vulnerable to world market price fluctuations. The cost of rice in Sierra Leone rose by over 50 percent from January to July 2008. While international prices have slid down, local prices are still high, and the downturn in the global economy is creating new challenges for the most vulnerable.
I had the fortune to spend my civil service in Sierra Leone in 2010/2011. Beside my activity as a teacherin a educational and research centre, I was enthusiastically working in the agricultural sector of the centre, trying to improve the agricultural production of the 15 hectare site.
Through this work, and through the interaction processes and communication exchange with the local farmers, I got some insight in the problems, which the farmers are facing in this region.
As a consequence of my experience, I want to make an attempt to analyse the problems of the agriculture in this region (you will find a detailed description of the analysed system later on) and find some main leverage points to enhance the situation of the farmers in this particular semi-rural region.
Shabka Background Nr. 7-2013
