Agricultural Value Chain Development Project

Agriculture is the largest sector of Sierra Leone’s economy. It accounts for 62 per cent of the country’s labour force, 59 per cent of its GDP and 22 per cent of its export revenues. However, poverty is particularly acute and concentrated in rural areas, where 59 per cent of the population lives. The Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (AVDP) will increase production and improve the marketing of rice, palm oil, cocoa and vegetables, contributing to the Government’s priorities of rice self-sufficiency, crop diversification and rural poverty reduction.

The AVDP will invest in agricultural mechanization, irrigation and water management. It will strengthen and climate-proof rural infrastructure through the rehabilitation of feeder roads and warehouses to improve product drying and storage capacity. It will also build the capacity of smallholder farmers through farmer field schools and provide them with credit for their investments in smallholder farms. About 34,000 vulnerable rural households will benefit from the project, and at least 40 per cent of the project’s participants will be women and youth.