Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10MONROVIA36
2010-01-11 16:52:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Monrovia
Cable title:
PROMOTING FOOD SECURITY (GHFSI) IN LIBERIA
how-toVZCZCXRO5003 RR RUEHMA RUEHPA DE RUEHMV #0036/01 0111652 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 111652Z JAN 10 FM AMEMBASSY MONROVIA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1561 INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC RHMFISS/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MONROVIA 000036
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EEB/TPP/ABT - MPLOWDEN, GCLEMENTS, GSPENCER
E.O.12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EAGR EAID LI
SUBJECT: PROMOTING FOOD SECURITY (GHFSI) IN LIBERIA
REF: A) STATE 127466, B) STATE 124059, C) STATE 132094
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MONROVIA 000036
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EEB/TPP/ABT - MPLOWDEN, GCLEMENTS, GSPENCER
E.O.12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EAGR EAID LI
SUBJECT: PROMOTING FOOD SECURITY (GHFSI) IN LIBERIA
REF: A) STATE 127466, B) STATE 124059, C) STATE 132094
1. (U) SUMMARY: In Liberia, food insecurity presents daily
hardships for the majority of citizens, and has been an historic
cause of destabilizing political unrest. Post recognizes that a
reinvigorated agricultural sector is the key to broad-based
employment, economic growth, and a healthy population, while
stimulating demand for rural infrastructure rehabilitation and
attracting foreign investment. To that end, post has devised an
interagency food security strategy to amplify USAID's Global Hunger
and Food Security Initiative (GHFSI). A mission-wide GHFSI
development group will meet monthly to explore how existing human
resources and programs can be marshaled in support of Liberia's food
security efforts. A communications strategy will explain
agriculture's potential value to Liberia, highlight USG efforts, and
engage the general public, other development partners and the GOL in
sharing information and building a consensus that leads to improved
food security. Post will leverage existing public diplomacy
resources and small grants, such as exchange programs and the
Ambassador's Self-Help Fund. Post also will help Peace Corps, which
enjoys a broad reach in rural areas, and AFRICOM, which oversees a
large program to rebuild Liberia's army, to enhance existing
projects that peripherally support food security. END SUMMARY.
2. (U) Liberia is one of the most food insecure countries in Africa;
a tragic irony considering the abundant sources of water and lush
vegetation. Fourteen years of civil conflict decimated a once
self-sufficient agricultural industry. Rice constitutes the staple
of the Liberian diet, yet domestic producers satisfy only 40% of
total demand. Liberia's reliance upon imported food stuffs exposes
it to fluctuations in global commodity prices, which in turn erodes
purchasing power - a catastrophe in a country where 80% of people
eke out a living on less than one dollar per day. An inefficient
port in Monrovia further raises the price of food imports, and
dilapidated rural infrastructure makes it costly and time-consuming
to connect producers and consumers. Finally, shallow financial
markets preclude would-be entrepreneurs from investing in
agriculture-related industries. As a result, a 2006 Food and
Agriculture Organization study concluded that only nine percent of
rural households in Liberia were food secure.
3. (U) In concert with GOL priorities, USAID has designed a GHFSI
implementation plan that increases sustainable market-led growth
across the entire food production and market chain (including
investment in agricultural research to improve crop yields,
construction of farm-to-market roads, and access to finance),
prevents and treats under-nutrition, and reduces trade and
transportation barriers.
The Food and Enterprise Development Program, which begins in May,
will provide $110 million over three years to support GHFSI goals.
In addition, Post advances the food security agenda through the
following mechanisms: USAID's Office of Food for Peace ($15 million
per year),the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food for
Progress ($3 million),the Sustainable Tree Crop Program ($10
million),technical assistance to support the Ministry of
Agriculture ($4 million),the Land Reform and Community Forestry
Program ($6 million over 2.5 years),and the Liberia Energy Sector
Support Program ($20 million).
Interagency GHFSI Development Group
--------------
4. (U) To ensure coordination of diplomatic and development efforts,
post has created the GHFSI Development Group. The DCM will chair a
monthly meeting, which will include representatives from the
political/economic and public affairs sections, USAID's Economic
Growth team, the Peace Corps, and the Office of Security Cooperation
(AFRICOM). USAID subject matter experts in health, education and
democracy and governance will participate as needed. Economic
Officer Sarah Gonzales has been designated Embassy point of contact
for interagency food security coordination and will propose the
agenda for meetings.
5. (U) While food security is a long-standing priority for the
Mission, regular coordination will ensure more creative and
effective use of existing resources. The GHFSI Development Group
will explore how existing State, Peace Corps and military programs
and skill sets can be used to amplify the GHFSI's development goals.
The group will design strategies for media and commercial outreach,
ensure public diplomacy programs support food security goals, and
coordinate among US agencies serving in Liberia.
Communicating the Value of Domestic Agriculture
-------------- --
6. (U) During the civil war, Liberians fled to the relative safety
of urban areas, where agricultural skills enervated and an entire
MONROVIA 00000036 002.4 OF 003
generation became accustomed to city life and imported food. Now,
despite limited urban employment opportunities, many Liberians
languish in Monrovia, and GOL and donor incentives to return to
agrarian life have failed to persuade a cynical urban populace that
agriculture can once again be profitable.
7. (U) To combat misapprehensions that undermine agricultural
revitalization, designing a communications strategy is the
Development Group's first priority. In fact, the committee agrees
that a comprehensive media and public outreach campaign is perhaps
the best means by which existing diplomatic resources can be
deployed to buttress the GHFSI development agenda, which is itself a
reflection of the GOL's Comprehensive African Agriculture
Development Program (CAADP) and the Liberia Agriculture Investment
Support Program (LASIP).
8. (U) There are several messages post hopes to communicate. First,
we must reinforce the value of agriculture to a developing economy.
With appeals to both patriotism and economic self-interest, we must
outline how agricultural development can lead to widespread
employment opportunities, better infrastructure and improved
nutrition. Second, to overcome the defeatist conviction that roads
are too derelict and agricultural skills too long forgotten, we must
draw media and public attention to every infrastructure project,
technical assistance program or microcredit scheme, and explain
plainly and carefully how each project draws Liberia one step closer
to agricultural self-sufficiency. We will also highlight "success
stories," particularly those that reveal Liberians who have overcome
obstacles to profit from agricultural endeavors. Third, we must
attempt to influence urban citizens' preference for imported rice
through a "made in Liberia" campaign. To strengthen consumer
demand, media outreach will tout the economic benefits of import
substitution and the superior nutritional content of domestic rice.
9. (U) Post will reinforce these messages through the Ambassador's
speeches, editorials in local newspapers, and ribbon-cutting events.
The Development Group will create a food security fact sheet that
outlines Embassy-wide diplomatic and development efforts and
provides talking points on the value of agricultural revitalization
for Liberia's economic growth and political stability. Mission
personnel will be encouraged to use these talking points in
conversations with varied public and private sector contacts. In
addition, post will introduce food security themes into existing
public diplomacy programs, such as speakers' programs at American
Corners, the International Visitors' Leadership Program and the
Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program.
10. (U) As an opening salvo, the Ambassador will introduce these
themes during an upcoming event to inaugurate a USAID-funded, United
Nations-World Food Program school feeding program. Thanks to an
unexpected bumper rice crop this year, USAID, through WFP, will
purchase rice from Liberian farmers and distribute it to schools
throughout the country. This $3.5 million project is made possible
due to the FY09 (carryover) supplemental issued by Congress for
Global Financial Crisis mitigation. The ribbon-cutting, to be held
in late January or early February, offers an opportunity to
communicate multiple messages we wish to share with the Liberian
public: donors' coordinated support for GOL agriculture initiatives,
the potential for domestic rice production, and the link between
proper nutrition and children's physical and intellectual
development.
Youth Outreach
--------------
11. (U) Despite Liberia's agrarian roots, few school children or
teenagers entering the work force have experience with agriculture
or livestock cultivation, and fewer still perceive farming as a
viable profession. Through the 1980s, all public schools required
students to take a vocational class in farming. Students spent one
afternoon per week cultivating a school-owned vegetable garden,
learning the basic principles of agriculture and sharing equally the
produce they cultivated. Few schools still offer this practical
curriculum, although post proposes other small-scale mechanisms on
this model that would reintroduce youth to farming.
12. (U) Liberia's 24 Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) work primarily in
the education sector, whether as teachers at the Rural Teacher
Training Institutes (RTTI),advocates of Parent Teacher Associations
in local schools, or trainers of public health professionals. PTA
organizers assist PTAs in creating vegetable gardens at the local
schools to enhance school lunch programs and ensure the effective
delivery of food to children. Nutrition instructors teach health
care professionals the importance and intricacies of nutrition.
Teacher-trainers support the efforts of the RTTIs to grow their own
food, and plan to incorporate agriculture into the teacher training
curriculum, with the hope that teachers will impart useful knowledge
MONROVIA 00000036 003 OF 003
to students once they return to classrooms throughout the country.
13. (U) Post will also explore the possibility of reviving 4-H in
Liberia. The Ministry of Youth and Sports, which has a modest
national volunteer service program, may be a viable partner in this
effort, and we will encourage them to pursue 4-H's youth exchange
program. Finally, the Public Affairs Section will use its
educational advisory services to encourage more young people to
pursue careers in sustainable agriculture.
Ambassador's Self-Help Fund and Other Small Grants
-------------- --------------
14. (U) Of 13 self-help projects in 2010, seven are related to
agriculture or food security. Post will launch an "adopt a
self-help project," to ensure that each funded organization or
community is paired with an officer who provides guidance and
oversight during the year-long project, and assures continued
sustainability and success in 2011 and beyond. For example, one
project supports 50 women who are starting a poultry farm. The
officer who supports this project might help the women identify
appropriate markets to sell their goods, design a cost-effective
mechanism for getting goods to market, and help them time the
chickens' lifecycle to coincide with seasonal demand.
15. (U) Where Embassy human resources alone are insufficient, other
small grant programs may enable Post to support grassroots
organizations that would complement USAID's endeavors. For example,
Post's food security Development Committee will develop a grant
request to the Office of Global Women's Issues in response to its
request for proposals (ref C). We plan to identify a worthy local
organization that could use funds to encourage women's economic
empowerment through agriculture.
Military Outreach
--------------
16. (U) Both AFRICOM and the United National Mission in Liberia
(UNMIL) recognize that food security programs for soldiers and
ex-combatants advance military reform, improve soldiers' morale and
reinforce peacekeeping efforts. For example, at Camp Ware near
Monrovia, U.S. military and contractors, who serve as mentors to
military personnel, are helping the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL)
clear land and plant crops. USAID will provide technical training,
seeds and tools beginning January 18, and if the project is
successful, the Office of Security Cooperation may provide similar
resources to other AFL military bases.
17. (U) UNMIL's Bangladesh unit trains ex-combatants as farmers in
Bong County, and the new farmers run a small farm that grows enough
rice and vegetables for their families. However, the Bangladeshi
battalion does not retain any trained farmers or agronomists, so
their efforts, while providing a valued community service, remain
modest. The new U.S. military observer at UNMIL will work with the
UN to scale and professionalize this operation, so that it can be
adopted successfully as a viable profession for ex-combatants in
other counties.
THOMAS-GREENFIELD
1
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EEB/TPP/ABT - MPLOWDEN, GCLEMENTS, GSPENCER
E.O.12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON EAGR EAID LI
SUBJECT: PROMOTING FOOD SECURITY (GHFSI) IN LIBERIA
REF: A) STATE 127466, B) STATE 124059, C) STATE 132094
1. (U) SUMMARY: In Liberia, food insecurity presents daily
hardships for the majority of citizens, and has been an historic
cause of destabilizing political unrest. Post recognizes that a
reinvigorated agricultural sector is the key to broad-based
employment, economic growth, and a healthy population, while
stimulating demand for rural infrastructure rehabilitation and
attracting foreign investment. To that end, post has devised an
interagency food security strategy to amplify USAID's Global Hunger
and Food Security Initiative (GHFSI). A mission-wide GHFSI
development group will meet monthly to explore how existing human
resources and programs can be marshaled in support of Liberia's food
security efforts. A communications strategy will explain
agriculture's potential value to Liberia, highlight USG efforts, and
engage the general public, other development partners and the GOL in
sharing information and building a consensus that leads to improved
food security. Post will leverage existing public diplomacy
resources and small grants, such as exchange programs and the
Ambassador's Self-Help Fund. Post also will help Peace Corps, which
enjoys a broad reach in rural areas, and AFRICOM, which oversees a
large program to rebuild Liberia's army, to enhance existing
projects that peripherally support food security. END SUMMARY.
2. (U) Liberia is one of the most food insecure countries in Africa;
a tragic irony considering the abundant sources of water and lush
vegetation. Fourteen years of civil conflict decimated a once
self-sufficient agricultural industry. Rice constitutes the staple
of the Liberian diet, yet domestic producers satisfy only 40% of
total demand. Liberia's reliance upon imported food stuffs exposes
it to fluctuations in global commodity prices, which in turn erodes
purchasing power - a catastrophe in a country where 80% of people
eke out a living on less than one dollar per day. An inefficient
port in Monrovia further raises the price of food imports, and
dilapidated rural infrastructure makes it costly and time-consuming
to connect producers and consumers. Finally, shallow financial
markets preclude would-be entrepreneurs from investing in
agriculture-related industries. As a result, a 2006 Food and
Agriculture Organization study concluded that only nine percent of
rural households in Liberia were food secure.
3. (U) In concert with GOL priorities, USAID has designed a GHFSI
implementation plan that increases sustainable market-led growth
across the entire food production and market chain (including
investment in agricultural research to improve crop yields,
construction of farm-to-market roads, and access to finance),
prevents and treats under-nutrition, and reduces trade and
transportation barriers.
The Food and Enterprise Development Program, which begins in May,
will provide $110 million over three years to support GHFSI goals.
In addition, Post advances the food security agenda through the
following mechanisms: USAID's Office of Food for Peace ($15 million
per year),the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food for
Progress ($3 million),the Sustainable Tree Crop Program ($10
million),technical assistance to support the Ministry of
Agriculture ($4 million),the Land Reform and Community Forestry
Program ($6 million over 2.5 years),and the Liberia Energy Sector
Support Program ($20 million).
Interagency GHFSI Development Group
--------------
4. (U) To ensure coordination of diplomatic and development efforts,
post has created the GHFSI Development Group. The DCM will chair a
monthly meeting, which will include representatives from the
political/economic and public affairs sections, USAID's Economic
Growth team, the Peace Corps, and the Office of Security Cooperation
(AFRICOM). USAID subject matter experts in health, education and
democracy and governance will participate as needed. Economic
Officer Sarah Gonzales has been designated Embassy point of contact
for interagency food security coordination and will propose the
agenda for meetings.
5. (U) While food security is a long-standing priority for the
Mission, regular coordination will ensure more creative and
effective use of existing resources. The GHFSI Development Group
will explore how existing State, Peace Corps and military programs
and skill sets can be used to amplify the GHFSI's development goals.
The group will design strategies for media and commercial outreach,
ensure public diplomacy programs support food security goals, and
coordinate among US agencies serving in Liberia.
Communicating the Value of Domestic Agriculture
-------------- --
6. (U) During the civil war, Liberians fled to the relative safety
of urban areas, where agricultural skills enervated and an entire
MONROVIA 00000036 002.4 OF 003
generation became accustomed to city life and imported food. Now,
despite limited urban employment opportunities, many Liberians
languish in Monrovia, and GOL and donor incentives to return to
agrarian life have failed to persuade a cynical urban populace that
agriculture can once again be profitable.
7. (U) To combat misapprehensions that undermine agricultural
revitalization, designing a communications strategy is the
Development Group's first priority. In fact, the committee agrees
that a comprehensive media and public outreach campaign is perhaps
the best means by which existing diplomatic resources can be
deployed to buttress the GHFSI development agenda, which is itself a
reflection of the GOL's Comprehensive African Agriculture
Development Program (CAADP) and the Liberia Agriculture Investment
Support Program (LASIP).
8. (U) There are several messages post hopes to communicate. First,
we must reinforce the value of agriculture to a developing economy.
With appeals to both patriotism and economic self-interest, we must
outline how agricultural development can lead to widespread
employment opportunities, better infrastructure and improved
nutrition. Second, to overcome the defeatist conviction that roads
are too derelict and agricultural skills too long forgotten, we must
draw media and public attention to every infrastructure project,
technical assistance program or microcredit scheme, and explain
plainly and carefully how each project draws Liberia one step closer
to agricultural self-sufficiency. We will also highlight "success
stories," particularly those that reveal Liberians who have overcome
obstacles to profit from agricultural endeavors. Third, we must
attempt to influence urban citizens' preference for imported rice
through a "made in Liberia" campaign. To strengthen consumer
demand, media outreach will tout the economic benefits of import
substitution and the superior nutritional content of domestic rice.
9. (U) Post will reinforce these messages through the Ambassador's
speeches, editorials in local newspapers, and ribbon-cutting events.
The Development Group will create a food security fact sheet that
outlines Embassy-wide diplomatic and development efforts and
provides talking points on the value of agricultural revitalization
for Liberia's economic growth and political stability. Mission
personnel will be encouraged to use these talking points in
conversations with varied public and private sector contacts. In
addition, post will introduce food security themes into existing
public diplomacy programs, such as speakers' programs at American
Corners, the International Visitors' Leadership Program and the
Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program.
10. (U) As an opening salvo, the Ambassador will introduce these
themes during an upcoming event to inaugurate a USAID-funded, United
Nations-World Food Program school feeding program. Thanks to an
unexpected bumper rice crop this year, USAID, through WFP, will
purchase rice from Liberian farmers and distribute it to schools
throughout the country. This $3.5 million project is made possible
due to the FY09 (carryover) supplemental issued by Congress for
Global Financial Crisis mitigation. The ribbon-cutting, to be held
in late January or early February, offers an opportunity to
communicate multiple messages we wish to share with the Liberian
public: donors' coordinated support for GOL agriculture initiatives,
the potential for domestic rice production, and the link between
proper nutrition and children's physical and intellectual
development.
Youth Outreach
--------------
11. (U) Despite Liberia's agrarian roots, few school children or
teenagers entering the work force have experience with agriculture
or livestock cultivation, and fewer still perceive farming as a
viable profession. Through the 1980s, all public schools required
students to take a vocational class in farming. Students spent one
afternoon per week cultivating a school-owned vegetable garden,
learning the basic principles of agriculture and sharing equally the
produce they cultivated. Few schools still offer this practical
curriculum, although post proposes other small-scale mechanisms on
this model that would reintroduce youth to farming.
12. (U) Liberia's 24 Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) work primarily in
the education sector, whether as teachers at the Rural Teacher
Training Institutes (RTTI),advocates of Parent Teacher Associations
in local schools, or trainers of public health professionals. PTA
organizers assist PTAs in creating vegetable gardens at the local
schools to enhance school lunch programs and ensure the effective
delivery of food to children. Nutrition instructors teach health
care professionals the importance and intricacies of nutrition.
Teacher-trainers support the efforts of the RTTIs to grow their own
food, and plan to incorporate agriculture into the teacher training
curriculum, with the hope that teachers will impart useful knowledge
MONROVIA 00000036 003 OF 003
to students once they return to classrooms throughout the country.
13. (U) Post will also explore the possibility of reviving 4-H in
Liberia. The Ministry of Youth and Sports, which has a modest
national volunteer service program, may be a viable partner in this
effort, and we will encourage them to pursue 4-H's youth exchange
program. Finally, the Public Affairs Section will use its
educational advisory services to encourage more young people to
pursue careers in sustainable agriculture.
Ambassador's Self-Help Fund and Other Small Grants
-------------- --------------
14. (U) Of 13 self-help projects in 2010, seven are related to
agriculture or food security. Post will launch an "adopt a
self-help project," to ensure that each funded organization or
community is paired with an officer who provides guidance and
oversight during the year-long project, and assures continued
sustainability and success in 2011 and beyond. For example, one
project supports 50 women who are starting a poultry farm. The
officer who supports this project might help the women identify
appropriate markets to sell their goods, design a cost-effective
mechanism for getting goods to market, and help them time the
chickens' lifecycle to coincide with seasonal demand.
15. (U) Where Embassy human resources alone are insufficient, other
small grant programs may enable Post to support grassroots
organizations that would complement USAID's endeavors. For example,
Post's food security Development Committee will develop a grant
request to the Office of Global Women's Issues in response to its
request for proposals (ref C). We plan to identify a worthy local
organization that could use funds to encourage women's economic
empowerment through agriculture.
Military Outreach
--------------
16. (U) Both AFRICOM and the United National Mission in Liberia
(UNMIL) recognize that food security programs for soldiers and
ex-combatants advance military reform, improve soldiers' morale and
reinforce peacekeeping efforts. For example, at Camp Ware near
Monrovia, U.S. military and contractors, who serve as mentors to
military personnel, are helping the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL)
clear land and plant crops. USAID will provide technical training,
seeds and tools beginning January 18, and if the project is
successful, the Office of Security Cooperation may provide similar
resources to other AFL military bases.
17. (U) UNMIL's Bangladesh unit trains ex-combatants as farmers in
Bong County, and the new farmers run a small farm that grows enough
rice and vegetables for their families. However, the Bangladeshi
battalion does not retain any trained farmers or agronomists, so
their efforts, while providing a valued community service, remain
modest. The new U.S. military observer at UNMIL will work with the
UN to scale and professionalize this operation, so that it can be
adopted successfully as a viable profession for ex-combatants in
other counties.
THOMAS-GREENFIELD
1