Cassava is Sierra Leone’s second most important staple crop and serves as an alternative to rice for many households. It is consumed in various forms; it can be boiled or processed into swallow (foofoo) and served with soups or sauces, or processed into cassava flakes (gari) or flour for the preparation of a wide range of meals.
Despite its importance to the country’s food system, cassava production remains below its full potential of 25 tonnes per hectare for both domestic consumption and export. This is largely due to the limited adoption of improved climate-resilient varieties and inadequate application of good agricultural practices. A poorly structured cassava value chain, limited standardization and inadequate storage and processing infrastructure continue to leave most smallholder farmers vulnerable.
To address these constraints, Solidaridad has secured 900,000 euros in funding from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH to implement the Sustainable Food and Agriculture Value Chains Development Programme. The initiative aims to strengthen sustainable and climate-resilient agri-food systems by improving the cassava value chain through the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices, stronger market linkages and increased private-sector engagement.
The three-year (2026-2029) programme, co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, will directly benefit more than 500 smallholder farmers across northern and southern Sierra Leone.
The programme will strengthen farmer-based organisations through organisational development, cooperative business school training, governance reforms and Gender Model Family training. The 500 smallholder farmers will be organised into 20 Farmer Field School groups to receive training in good agricultural practices, climate-smart agriculture and business development.
Andrew Kojo Morrison, Country Representative for Solidaridad Sierra Leone, said the programme will introduce a dual-sided out-grower scheme model to address both sides of the value chain simultaneously. This model provides equal support to producers and processors, creating commercially sustainable market relationships that will continue beyond the lifespan of the programme.
“For decades, many developmental programmes have focused primarily on supporting smallholder farmers through training and input provision while neglecting the needs of processors and buyers. As a result, farmers often increase production but struggle to secure reliable markets, while processors continue to operate below capacity because of inconsistent supplies,” he said.
Andrew reaffirmed Solidaridad’s commitment to working with the Government of Sierra Leone, GIZ, Welthungerhilfe, development partners, the private sector and smallholder farmers to ensure the programme contributes meaningfully to the successful implementation of the government’s Feed Salone Strategy and the country’s long-term goal of achieving food sufficiency.
Speaking at the launch of the programme, Johannes Behrens, BMZ Sierra Leone Head of Cooperation, said, “Strong value chains are key to sustainable growth and food sovereignty in Sierra Leone, therefore, the Federal Republic of Germany is proud to co-fund the cassava value chain and bilaterally support the implementation of the cocoa, coffee, vegetable and poultry value chains.”
Jacek Jankowski, the European Union Ambassador in Sierra Leone, suggested that the European Union investment in cassava industrialization will help the Government of Sierra Leone in implementing its food system transformation plan as established in the Feed Salone strategy.
As part of the programme implementation, 10 cassava cultivar multiplication centers will be established, 50 hectares of demonstration sites will be developed, 10 farmer-based organisations and 40 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises processing capacities will be strengthened, as well as the development of six new agriculture-related training courses for three Government Technical Institutes.