AfricaRice’s ‘Exquisite Innovations’ Excite Gov’t, Partners

24 February 2021. Daily Observer. AfricaRice’s ‘Exquisite Innovations’ Excite Gov’t, Partners. 

The DeSIRA Integrated Rice-Fish Farming System (IRFS) project is situated a stone’s throw from the main offices of CARI. Implemented by the AfricaRice Center and World Fish with funding from the European Union, the project seeks to develop sustainably integrated, climate-smart rice-fish production systems and develop successful extension service delivery systems.

With the needed support and investment, this farming method and its accompanying innovations, according to experts, can solve Liberia’s food insecurity and nutritional problems in a few years.

It is geared towards improving food security, nutrition and wealth creation, especially for rural farmers. The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA) and CARI are collaborating with the implementers on the project.

President George Weah, who graced the fair, might have failed to show up at DeSIRA project site after fervent efforts from Agriculture Minister, Jeanine M. Cooper and AfricaRice Country Representative, Dr. Innousa Akintayo, but the site attracted scores of other high profile dignitaries who lauded the implementers being amazed by what they saw.

Those dignitaries included United Nations Resident Coordinator, Neils Scott; EU Ambassador, Laurent Delahousse; UNDP Resident Representative, Stephen Rodriques; French Ambassador, Michael Roux; and the team leader at GROW-Liberia, Umar Mohammed, among others.

The visiting delegates were taken on a guided tour of the project and given an understanding of the initiative and how it would affect the agric sector.