Sustainable Green Team Ltd. (SGTM)

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Rice - A key Component of SGCP Agriculture

Once known as the Rice Coast, Sierra Leone exported tons of rice prior to the civil war that flared and cooled between 1991 and 2002. The fighting forced farmers to flee the country or find refuge in the cities. Rice production plummeted. That was bad news for Sierra Leoneans, who eat more rice on average—225 pounds a year—than Africans in other countries. While rice production has improved since the end of the war, the gap between production and consumption is filled by rice imports, which are estimated at 125,000 metric tons per year. That costs the government between $60 and $70 million, a sum the post-conflict country cannot afford. http://crs.org/sierra-leone/broadcast-planting-technique/

Rice is very well established in the agriculture and diets of Sierra Leone. People there consume an estimated 530,000 tonnes of rice annually, or more than 200 kg per capita. Ricelands cover some 180,000 ha and annual production is about 200,000 tonnes. http://www.fao.org/rice2004/en/p18.htm

Rice cultivation, what it looks like: http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&biw=1152&bih=533&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=rice+cultivation+africa&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=

Traditional Rice production in Sierra Leone

SIERRA LEONE NATIONAL RICE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY http://www.jica.go.jp/english/operations/thematic_issues/agricultural/pdf/sierraleone_en.pdf

$400 million plan to boost agricultural sector in Sierra Leone

MASIAKA, Sierra Leone (Reuters) – Sierra Leone opened a rat-free, mechanised “agricultural business centre” on Friday for struggling farmers to process and store their crops as part of a $400 million plan to boost the sector in the West African state.

The government, which estimates that agriculture accounts for around 46 percent of Sierra Leone’s national output, is establishing 150 such centres this year, and plans to have 650 in operation across the county by 2014. http://www.cocorioko.net/?p=4645

Rice, a Wikipedia Overview

A traditional food plant in Africa, its cultivation declined in colonial times, but its production has the potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable landcare.

The seeds of the rice plant are first milled using a rice huller to remove the chaff (the outer husks of the grain). At this point in the process, the product is called brown rice. The milling may be continued, removing the 'bran', i.e., the rest of the husk and the germ, thereby creating white rice. White rice, which keeps longer, lacks some important nutrients. Raw rice may be ground into flour for many uses, including making many kinds of beverages such as amazake, horchata, rice milk, and sake. Rice flour does not contain gluten and is suitable for people on a gluten-free diet. Rice may also be made into various types of noodles. Additional information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice

Farmers embrace African 'miracle' rice:

Nerica — originally developed by scientists of the West Africa Rice Development Association (WARDA), an intergovernmental rice research centre — is a cross between an ancient, hardy African rice variety and a high-yielding Asian variety. It combines features of both: resistance to drought and pests, higher yields even with little irrigation or fertilizer, and more protein content than other types of rice. http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol17no4/174rice.htm

African rice gets a status upgrade

Africa's indigenous rice varieties are to be granted 'elite' status by scientists in the hope that they will play a central role in making farmers' crops more resilient. http://www.scidev.net/en/news/african-rice-gets-a-status-upgrade-1.html

Sierra Leone: Agricultural Minister Calls for Protection of Local Rice Market

Dr. Joseph Sam Sesay who was addressing farmers, agriculture officials and other dignitaries at this year's World Food Day celebrations held at the St. Anthony Hall on Syke Street recommended:

* That, in to order create viable markets for farmers to sell and realize maximum benefits from their produce, humanitarian organizations like the World Food Programme should stop importing food supplied under their various feeding programmes and buy that which is being produced by our local farmers.
* That government should reverse the import tariff on imported rice from the current 10% to 15% in order to push the consumer price index and encourage the consumption of our local rice varieties.
* That suppliers of government's institutional feeding programmes must buy domestic rice to supply institutions like the army, the police, hospitals, schools etc.
* That a strategic grain reserve be established to respond to people's feeding needs in times of natural disasters.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201010250356.html

Rice Production in Sierra Leone receives big boost

Five chiefdoms; three in Bombali and two in the Tonkolili Districts in the Northern Province, an area that covers some of the most fertile rice producing land in Sierra Leone, have been targeted for the implementation of a 14-month project geared towards improving the production, processing and marketing of Sierra Leone’s staple food, rice, and putting more money into the pockets of rural farming families.

With funds from the European Union and ActionAid International Sierra Leone, the Rice Component of the Use of STABEX Transfer Project, as it is called, will address the constraints faced by farmers in this area, such as lack of access to farm tools, processing equipment and techniques, limited access to high quality seeds, limited seed storage facilities, lack of employment opportunities for women and youths and limited access to markets.
The project will target 9500 farmers of which 4275 (45%) will be women farmers.

It will be implemented by ActionAid International Sierra Leone, as part of the European Union’s agenda to contribute to and support government in achieving food security. http://www.actionaid.org/thailand/index.aspx?PageID=3939