Unlocking Soybean Market Potential in Liberia: New EU-funded Initiative Launches Soybean Demo Plot to Promote Knowledge Transfer

^{Participants at the trial plot launched at CARI in Suakoko, Bong County}

As part of efforts to unlock Liberia’s vast market potential for soybean, the EU-funded Seeds4Liberia initiative has launched its first-ever soybean demonstration plot at the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) in Suakoko, Bong County. The field is established to promote knowledge transfer among farmers and technicians.

Soybean has immense economic potential along its value chain. For instance, soybean is useful to the livestock sector for feed production, and to the cosmetic and medicinal sectors for various applications.”

Also, soybean production has been on a steady rise in Liberia. Production of the crop increased from 1,300t in 1973 to 3,348.22t in 2022, growing at an average annual rate of 2.11%. The EU-funded Seeds4Liberia project is part of a broader push to develop a seed roadmap, which is anticipated to provide a framework and resources to boost the production of key commodities, such as soybean.

The event was attended by stakeholders from the national government, international organizations, and local communities. It also marked a crucial moment in efforts to improve Liberia’s food and nutrition security, as well as increase farmers’ income.

“Soybean has a very huge market that guarantees great returns. And it is good to see Liberia unlocking such market potential. IITA, through the EU-funded Seeds4Liberia, is happy to be a part of this facilitation process. Of course, there are a lot of activities that we are to carry out in establishing a resilient seed system for soybean, but it is just amazing to be a part of such a groundbreaking event,” Dr. Michael Edet, IITA’s National Coordinator under the EU-funded S4L Project.  

AfricaRice, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), and WorldFish are collaborating on the project with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI), the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), and the Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA).