Strengthening extension service delivery: EU-funded Initiative enhances the capacity of agriculture officers

Extension agents, including County Agriculture Coordinators (CACs), District Agriculture Officers (DAOs), and Seed Inspectors from the Seeds Development and Certification Agency (SDCA) all applauded the recent capacity enhancement training organized by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) under the EU-funded Seeds4Liberia project.   

The training workshop, organized by IITA in collaboration with the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI), brought together 20 extension officers from Bong, Lofa, Montserrado, Margibi, and Nimba counties. It brought together 20 extension officers from Bong, Lofa, Montserrado, Margibi, and Nimba counties. The training aimed at strengthening extension officers’ capacity on the processes of soybean production- covering breeder seeds, foundation seeds, and certified seeds.

Calvin Tubah, District Agriculture Officer from Vonjama in Lofa County, who spoke on behalf of extension officers participating in the training, assured proper application of the knowledge gained.

“On behalf of the DAOs, we want to give our thanks and appreciation to the European Union, IITA, and CARI for imparting knowledge because soybean production is new to us, and I believe that we are the first batch of technicians to be trained in the production of this crop. We assure you that the knowledge gained here will be properly disseminated among our farmers. We also assure you that your efforts will not go in vain. We support the objectives of this project and the Government's goal of making Liberia a contender in the soybean market,” said Tubah. 

Extension service delivery system in Liberia is confronted with several challenges.  According to an assessment under the EU-funded DeSIRA Integrated Rice-Fish Farming System Project (DeSIRA-IRFFS), the ratio of farmers to extension officers in Liberia is high, exceeding the recommended ratio of 1:600.  It further revealed 35,000 farmers to one extension officer in the country.  Moreover, the “skills and knowledge gap” among extension officers has been identified as paramount to the sector's development. Limited understanding of modern practices, weak understanding of innovation systems, and low technical specialization are among the identified issues. 

^{IITA’s Soybean Lead, Dr. Abebe Abush}

In response, the EU-funded Seeds4Liberia Initiative is part of efforts addressing the problems through capacity-building activities, solidifying the transfer of cutting-edge technologies in Liberia.

Earlier, the Director General of the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI), Dr. Arthur B. Karnuah, in his remarks, urged recipients to effectively utilize the knowledge gained during the three-day training, while IITA’s Soybean Lead, Dr. Abush Abebe, underscored the importance of soybean and its enormous benefits to food security and the economy.   

Also, the project’s National Coordinator, Dr. Inoussa Akintayo, provided an overview of the EU-funded initiative and its contributions to national development. He emphasized that the initiative is driving a transformative shift in Liberia’s agricultural sector by strengthening resilient seed systems across key value chains—cassava, rice, coffee, soybeans, and fish. The project is enhancing the capacity to produce and distribute high-quality foundation and certified seeds, reinforcing quality control through the operational launch of the Seed Development and Certification Agency. By aligning with national priorities such as the National Agriculture Development Plan, the National Cassava Sector Strategy, and the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (2025–2029), the initiative is laying the groundwork for greater agricultural productivity and long-term food security in Liberia.

Launched in late 2024, the EU-funded Seeds4Liberia is being implemented by AfricaRice, IITA, and WorldFish in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI), the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), and the Liberia Agricultural Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA).