EU-funded Seeds4Liberia Project Welcomes Second Batch of Interns for Capacity Strengthening

As part of its internship program, the EU-funded Seeds4Liberia Project has welcomed the second batch of interns for a four-month intensive training.

Why youth in agriculture?

The age structure of Liberia’s population is young; 63 percent is under 25 years old, and 32.8 percent is 10-24 years old, according to an article published by the United Nations – Liberia. Despite this, a segment of the country’s youth who are involved in agriculture faces many challenges, making it difficult to realize agriculture as a potential pillar for youth employment and poverty alleviation. Limited access to knowledge, information, and education, as well as limited access to land, inadequate access to financial resources, and access to markets, are all issues recognized as having impeded youth development in the sector over the past years.

In response, the Liberian government and its partners continue to work to build the capacity of its youthful population by launching the National Cadet Program, County Youth Resource Centers, and the nationwide revitalization of TVET Centers.   

In agriculture, the EU-funded Seeds4Liberia Project has also established a learning hub through its internship program, where project experts mentor young college/university students on sustainable seed practices in Liberia.

The second batch of interns will engage in both theoretical lessons and practical fieldwork to deepen their understanding of advanced seed production methodologies.

About the Seeds4Liberia Project

Launched late in 2024, the project aims to enhance the value chains of rice, cassava, coffee, soybeans, and fish.

The project is also engaging with students from public and private tertiary educational institutions, along with private seed companies (PSCs) and community-based seed enterprises (CBSEs) and community-based seed producers (CBSPs) to produce sustainably, store, and supply foundation and certified seeds/seedlings of target crops and quality-assured large-size fingerlings of fish while enhancing varietal turnover and increasing yields in farmers’ fields with quality seeds of high-yielding, climate-resilient, and nutritious varieties of target crops and fish species preferred by Liberians. 

AfricaRice, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) , and WorldFish are implementing the EU-funded Seeds4Liberia in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI),  National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), and the Liberia Agricultural Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA).