As part of ongoing efforts to revitalize Liberia’s coffee industry and strengthen agricultural diversification, IITA–CGIAR, through the Seeds4Liberia Project, has distributed more than 267,000 coffee seedlings to farmers across four counties—Bong, Lofa, Montserrado, and Nimba. This significant milestone is a key component of IITA–CGIAR’s broader agenda to empower farmers, improve seed systems, and drive economic growth through strategic crop value chains.
This distribution follows the earlier collection of coffee beans from selected farmers’ fields across five coffee-producing counties: Bong, Bomi, Nimba, Lofa, and Montserrado. The beans, representing three major species (arabica, liberica, and robusta), were collected for multiplication and further research, including DNA fingerprinting and coffee quality analysis to assess caffeine levels and aromatic profiles.
The seedling distribution exercise was conducted in close collaboration with key national stakeholders. These included the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI), the Farmers’ Union Network of Liberia (FUNL), the Seeds Development and Certification Agency (SDCA), and the European Union (EU) Delegation to Liberia, which funds the Seeds4Liberia Project as part of its flagship “From productivity to product” (P2P) initiative.
“This project is a significant step in the development of our agriculture sector, especially focusing on what we call the foundation of production—seeds,” said Solomon C. Hedd-Williams, Deputy Minister for Technical Services at the Ministry of Agriculture. “We are grateful to the EU and implementing partners like IITA for taking our seed development system to the next level. We express our heartfelt appreciation on behalf of the Honorable Minister of Agriculture, Dr Alexander Nuetah.”
The event drew attention from key figures in Liberia’s agriculture space, who emphasized the transformative potential of coffee. “Coffee is the second global commodity, next to petroleum. It is a trillion-dollar industry,” said Honorable Josephine Francis, President of the Farmers’ Union Network of Liberia. “This sector has enormous potential to alleviate poverty, particularly among youth. Let us all work together to make this a reality, and it starts today with the Seeds4Liberia initiative.”
Antonio Di Clemente, Task Manager of the EU Delegation to Liberia, praised the collaborative spirit that made the project possible. “Today is a beautiful day because this is action after a lot of planning,” he noted. “To the farmers—thank you. You are the heart of this work. One day, your coffee will be sipped in a café somewhere in Europe, and that will be a circle complete. We are proud to be a part of this journey.”
In addition to seedling distribution, the Seeds4Liberia Project supports long-term improvements to Liberia’s coffee sector through capacity building, quality assurance, and innovation. The initiative also aligns with ongoing efforts by the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA) to strengthen regulations and increase competitiveness in international markets.
Speaking on behalf of the recipient farmers, Fatumata Fofana expressed gratitude for the initiative’s support. “This is a great boost to us, building on what the ITC project has already done. We aim not just to grow coffee and export it, but to one day establish processing facilities that create jobs and drive national development.”
Implemented by AfricaRice, IITA, and WorldFish in partnership with national agencies such as MoA, CARI, NaFAA, and LACRA, Seeds4Liberia is helping to sow a brighter future for coffee farmers, one seedling at a time.
Contributed by Folake Oduntan and Anita Akinyomade
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