World Bank funds habanero pepper farming in Sierra Leone
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The World Bank and the Government of Sierra Leone partnered to harvest habanero peppers in Goama Community, Sowa Chiefdom, Pujehun District, Sierra Leone, as part of the Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP).
Lucy Koker, the District Agriculture Officer, led the harvest on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka, with local officials and farmers present.
The program established greenhouses on five hectares of land to encourage climate-smart agriculture and increase vegetable production, specifically focusing on habanero peppers. The FSRP aims to support the government’s “Feed Salone” agenda by increasing domestic food production and reducing reliance on imports. These greenhouses will help farmers adapt to changing weather conditions and improve production methods, with a focus on organised, market-oriented farming.
Approximately 150 households are benefiting from the project, with women making up 70 percent of the participants and young people 30 percent. Wala Foods signed an agreement with the Munafa Sowa Farmers Association to ensure the initiative’s long-term sustainability. Additionally, the project plans to expand to open-field vegetable cultivation using drip irrigation, giving all of that land to the farmers who participate. Local officials and the farmers themselves expressed gratitude for the support and optimism about future opportunities.
