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In a region grappling with food insecurity, youth unemployment, and dependency on imports, SANKOFA Farm is quietly driving an agricultural transformation in Liberia–turning red soil into sustainable sustenance.
Founded in 2014 by agricultural entrepreneur Nyamah G. Dunbar, SANKOFA has evolved from a modest cassava operation into Liberia’s largest vegetable farm, cultivating more than 350 acres of a 650-acre site in Bong County. The farm is now a beacon of resilience, innovation, and community empowerment in Liberia’s push toward food self-sufficiency.
“We started with seven men and no machines–just cutlasses in the bush,” Dunbar recalled. “What began in Margibi has now become a national model.”
Turning Point: Government Support Unlocks Growth
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Years of grit and limited backing began to pay off in 2022 when the Ministry of Agriculture and the Liberia Agriculture Commercialization Fund (LACF) extended a strategic grant. The funding supported three core areas: mechanization, improved seed and input access, and post-harvest sales and storage infrastructure.
A new tractor enabled faster land clearing. Access to certified seeds boosted productivity. And a newly constructed flash-cooling and sales center in Omega, outside Monrovia, curbed post-harvest losses and gave farmers leverage in market negotiations.
“Before, we’d bring our harvest to Monrovia and get stuck at Gobachop. Now, we preserve value and negotiate better,” Dunbar said.
Funds were disbursed with strict transparency protocols–vendors were paid directly by the Ministry, and both LACF and the Ministry conducted regular audits.
A Crop Mix for Liberia’s Food Future
SANKOFA now produces a wide range of vegetables: tomatoes, okra, cucumbers, peppers, cabbage, corn, lettuce, watermelon, cassava, carrots, and beans. Unlike most commercial farms focused on rubber or palm, SANKOFA targets horticulture–diversifying local diets and strengthening food systems.
The farm sources most of its seeds from Songhai Institute in Benin, a respected regional research hub, ensuring reliability and resilience.
“Local seeds often fail,” Dunbar said. “We need to decentralize the food economy and empower Bong, Margibi, and Nimba to become strong agricultural hubs.”
From Cutlasses to Tractors: The Mechanization Shift
Since 2018, Kousse Mamidou, a Beninese agricultural technician, has led SANKOFA’s scale-up. Mechanized farming has replaced labor-intensive methods, drastically improving efficiency.
“It used to take a month to clear a field with cutlasses. Now we do it in an hour,” Mamidou said.
Support from the Ministry of Agriculture included power tillers, solar-powered irrigation systems, organic pest control tools, plastic mulch, and certified seedlings. One okra plot now yields over 2,000 pounds per week, sold at LRD 300 per pound.
Empowering Youth and Women Through Agriculture
More than just a commercial farm, SANKOFA operates as a training hub for students from the Booker Washington Institute (BWI) and surrounding communities. Each training cycle engages 25 to 45 farmers–many of them women and youth–who receive hands-on instruction in organic farming, tractor operation, composting, and agro-enterprise.
“We don’t just farm–we train, certify, and empower,” Mamidou said.
The Hands Behind the Harvest
Workers on the farm say SANKOFA is transforming lives, providing dignity and income for families long neglected by formal employment systems.
Annie Connor
:
“We don’t want our boss man to cry. The farm is helping us live.”
Betty George
:
“We are the fathers and the mothers now. Our pay sends our kids to school.”
Saye Kerkulah
:
“The soil has money, but we need tools–gloves, boots, raincoats.”
Joe Sumo
:
“You’re not just here for nothing. You learn, you grow, and you go home better.”
Challenges Persist
Despite its success, SANKOFA faces ongoing hurdles: high transport costs, lack of cold storage in rural counties, limited tractors, unregulated seed markets, and middleman price manipulation.
Dunbar believes government should shift from being the sole implementer to an enabler of private-sector growth.
“Policy must support actors like us. We’ve shown what’s possible with limited help. Imagine what we could do with consistent support,” she said.
Recommendations to the Ministry of Agriculture
SANKOFA and its team call for:
-
Decentralized storage and sales hubs
in Bong, Nimba, and Margibi. -
Regulated seed markets
to eliminate fake seeds. -
Expanded training programs
to scale technical education. -
Stronger extension services
for post-grant monitoring and support. -
Investment in local processing
to reduce Monrovia dependency.
A Blueprint for Liberia’s Agricultural Resilience
SANKOFA Farm is more than a business–it’s a model for national revival. In a country where supermarkets often stock imported lettuce and tomatoes, this homegrown initiative proves Liberia can grow its way out of dependence.
“The soil is rich. The youth are ready,” Mamidou said. “With the right support, we can farm our way into a better Liberia.”
As one farmworker put it:
“Little is more when God is in it.”
Copyright 2025 The Liberian Investigator. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media ().
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Liberia,
Food and Agriculture,
West Africa
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