By: Bernadette Lahai (PhD) Ibrahim J. Sannoh Sheikh I. Koroma UNFPA SSL EU November 2006 TABLE OF CONTENT Page Table Of Contents………………………………...………………………..…………….….i List of Tables………………..…….......…………………………………………………......iii List of Figures……………….…………………...……..……………………………….…. iv Acronyms………………..……………………………………………………..…………..vii Executive Summary……………..………………………………………………………...viii SECTION 1 1.0 AGRICULTURAL SECTOR IN SIERRA LEONE……...…………………………1 1.1 The Agricultural Sector..……………..………………..…………………………….1 1.2 Constraints and Opportunities…………………………..…………………..……...2 1.3 Strategy for Growth…………………………………..……………………………....2 1.4 Developmental Proposals………………………………..………………………….3 1.5 Setting medium term priorities…………………………..………..………………...3 SECTION 2 2.0 AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, OWNERSHIP AND ASSETS IN SIERRA LEONE..……………………………………………………….…….……..4 2.1 Data source and Analysis……….……………………………..……………..……..4 2.2 Results………………..…………………..……………………..……………….……5 2.2.1 Economic Activities…..…………….……………………..…………….……………5 2.2.1.1 Economic Activity by Gender in Sierra Leone…..……….………………………..6 2.2.2 Distribution of Agricultural Activities by Status and Gender in Sierra Leone…..8 2.2.2.1 Economic activity by Status and Gender in the Regions and Districts……..…12 SECTION 3 3.0 CROPPING ACTIVITIES AND ACREAGE CULTIVATED UNDER VARIOUS FOOD AND CASH CROPS IN SIERRA LEONE…………..….…..13 3.1 Number of farm Families………………………………....………………………. 13 3.2 Acreage Cultivated under various Food and Cash Crops………..……..……. 14 SECTION 4 4.0 PRODUCTION OF LIVESTOCK…………………………….……………………21 4.1 The Number of livestock owned by Household members in Sierra Leone…...21 4.2 Number of livestock owned by Household members in the Regions…...........22 4.3 Number of livestock owned by Household members in the Districts…..…..….23 SECTION 5 5.0 ACCESS TO AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION INPUT (ASSETS)…………..27 5.1 Introduction………………………………………….……………….……………...27 5.2 Access to Specific Agricultural Assets in Sierra Leone.……….…………….…27 i 5.3 Access to Agricultural Assets by region………………………..…………….…..29 5.4 Households Access to Agricultural facilities by districts………...…..………….31 SECTION 6 6.0 HOUSEHOLD OWNERSHIP OF ASSETS…………..…………..……..….…...37 6.1 Household ownership of assets in Sierra Leone………………..……….……...37 6.2 Assets owned by household by region……………………...………….…….…..37 6.3 Ownership at district level…………………………...…….……………………….41 SECTION 7 7.0 Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations…………...……………….49 7.1 Summary and Conclusions…………………..…………………………….………..49 7.2 Recommendations…………...……………………..………………………..……….51 SECTION 8 8.0 References and Annexes………………..……………………………………….53 8.1 References……………………………..……………………………………………53 8.2 Annexes ……………………………………………………………………………..54 ii LIST OF TABLES Table1: Sierra Leone’s agriculturally active population by gender….……………6 Table 2: Percentage distribution of economic activity by employment status in Sierra Leone……………………………..………….6 Table 3 Percent distribution of farm families by region………….…………….…13 Table 4: Area cultivated by crop and by region (ha)……….………..………….…18 Table 5: Area cultivated by crop and by region (% ha)…………...……………....18 Table 6: Area cultivated by crop and by district (ha) ……………………………...19 Table 7: Area cultivated by crop and by district (% ha) ………………….……….20 iii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Percentage distribution of agricultural activities in Sierra Leone by Gender…………………………………………………..….. 7 Figure 2: Percentage distribution of crop farming by status and gender in Sierra Leone……………………...……………..……………………..….…8 Figure 3: Percentage distribution of livestock farmers by status by status and gender in Sierra Leone………………...………..…………………..……...9 Figure 4: Percentage distribution of poultry farmers by employment status and by gender in Sierra Leone……………..…………………..………………10 Figure 5: Percentage distribution of hunting activity by status and by gender in Sierra Leone…………………….………………………………………….…...11 Figure 6: Percentage distribution of forestry activities status and by gender in Sierra Leone……………………………………………………………..……..12 Figure 7: Percentage distribution of people involved in fishing by employment status and by gender in Sierra Leone…………………………………..…… 14 Figure 8: Percentage distribution of crops by acreage (Ha) …………..……....……15 Figure 9: Percentage distribution of area cultivated by region………………..…….22 Figure10 Percentage distribution of livestock ownership by households in Sierra Leone……………………………………………………………..…….23 Figure11: Percentage distribution of livestock owned by households in the …..…..24 Figure 12: The percentage distribution of cattle reared by farming households in the districts…………..…………………………………………………….. 24 Figure 13: Percentage distribution of goats/sheep reared by farming families by district…………………………………………………………………..………25 Figure 14: Percentage distribution of pig farming by district………………………….26 Figure 15: Percentage distribution of chicken grown at households in the districts……………………………………………………………….…..…….26 Figure 16: Percentage distribution of ducks domesticated at farm family level in the district…………………………………………………………..…….…29 Figure 17: Percentage distribution of farming households that have access to agricultural facilities/ assets in Sierra Leone……………………………….30 iv Figure 18: Percentage distribution of farm families that have access to agricultural facilities by region………………………...……………………..31 Figure 19: Percentage distribution of farming households that have access to tractors in the districts………………………………………………………...32 Figure 20: Household’s percentage distribution to power tiller use in the districts……………………………………………...………………………….32 Figure 21: Percentage distribution of households that have access to threshers in the districts……………..……………...……………………………………33 Figure 22: Percentage distribution of agricultural households that have access to milling machines in the districts…………..………………………………….34 Figure 23: Percentage distribution of household’s access to storage facilities in the districts…………………..………………………………………………...34 Figure 24: Percentage distribution of households with access to drying floors by district………………………..…………………………………………………35 Figure 25: Percentage distribution of households that have access to grater machines………………………………………………………………………36 Figure 26: Percentage distribution of farming households that have access to pressers…………………….……………………………………………….…37 Figure 27: Percentage distribution of assets owned by households in Sierra Leone…………………………………………………………………………..38 Figure 28: Percentage distribution of assets owned by region……………………….39 Figure 29: Percentage distribution of ownership of iron, refrigerators and stoves by household by region………….…………………………………………...39 Figure 30: Percentage distribution of television, radios and computers owned by households by region…………..………………………………...40 Figure 31: Percentage distribution 0f land and cell phones ownerships by households by region……..……………..………….….….41 Figure 32: Percentage distribution of bicycle, motorcycle and vehicle owned by households by region…………….……………………………………….41 Figure 33: Percentage distribution of assets owned by districts…….………………..42 Figure 34a: Percentage distribution of iron owned by households by district…..……42 Figure 34b: Percentage distribution refrigerator owned by households by district ……………………………………………………………………..43 v Figure 34c: Percentage distribution of stove owned by households by district….…43 Figure 35a: Percentages of television owned by households by district…….……...44 Figure 35b: Percentages radio owned by households by district ……………...……44 Figure 35c: Percentages of computer owned by households by district ……...…...45 Figure 36a: Percentages Distribution of land phones Owned by Households by district…………………..……………………………………………..….46 Figure 36b: Percentages Distribution of cell phones Owned by Households by district………………………………………………………………….….46 Figure 37a: Percentages distribution of households that owned bicycle by district…………………………………………………………………….…..47 Figure 37b: Percentages of households that owned motor cycle by district……..…47 Figure 37c: Percentages distribution of households that owned vehicle in the districts……………………………………………..……………………..….48 vi LIST OF ACRONYMS AGOA African Growth and Opportunity Act ARS Agricultural Sector Review CAADP Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme CBO Community Based Organization ECOWAS Economic Committee of West African States FAO Food and Agricultural Organization FBO Farmers Based Organization GDP Gross Domestic Product GOSL Government of Sierra Leone IARS Institute of Agricultural Research Station IVS Inland Valley Swamp M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MAFFS Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security NAAS National Agricultural Advisory Service NaCSA National Commission for Social Action NAFSL National Association of Farmers in Sierra Leone NARCC National Agricultural Research Coordinating Council NARs National Agricultural Research Institutes NEPAD New Partnership for Africa’s Development NGO Non- Governmental Organization PEMSD Planning Evaluation Monitoring Statistics Division SSL Statistics Sierra Leone UNDP United Nations Development Programme VAM Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping vii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Sierra Leone, like most developing countries, is an agarian economy. The agriculture sector accounts for almost half of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as well as employs the majority of the economically active labour force. The country is endowed with good natural resources, climatic and agro-ecological conditions that support all year round agricultural production. This is in