As part of the Resilient Food and Nutrition Security (RFaNS) program, Solidaridad West Africa provided over 200 smallholder female farmers in Sierra Leone with necessary agricultural equipment and agro-processing machines. Beneficiaries in Bo, Kenema, and Moyamba districts received grinders, dryers, rice mills, gari-processing machines, blenders, and other tools to improve crop value, reduce post-harvest losses, and increase marketability.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints funded the RFaNS intervention, which targeted women who had previously been supported in cultivating key crops such as cassava, orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP), rice, and vegetables. Solidaridad not only provided hardware but also assisted beneficiary groups in developing branding and promotion strategies to increase visibility and market access for their processed products.
Andrew Kojo Morrison, Country Representative for Solidaridad in Sierra Leone, described the RFaNS program as a deliberate effort to increase productivity, competitiveness, incomes, and long-term sustainability for smallholder farmers. He emphasised that the latest support builds on previous RFaNS phases’ achievements by strengthening market links, improving access to quality inputs, and assisting existing production systems and enterprises.
“The goal is not only to increase raw outputs, but also to enable smallholders—particularly women—to add value and retain more of the benefits from their harvests,” Morrison stated, noting that over 2,000 smallholder women have already received improved seeds, fertilisers, organic pesticides, processing equipment, and technical assistance through RFaNS interventions.
Solidaridad’s approach relies heavily on the farm-to-nutrition concept. The program promotes the cultivation and processing of nutrient-rich crops, including OFSP, vegetables, and rice, to help mothers prepare nutritious meals at home. Morrison suggests that promoting locally available, nutrient-dense foods can reduce the need for costly supplements for pregnant and lactating women, as well as contribute to reducing malnutrition among children.
Solidaridad collaborated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) to provide hands-on training before distribution to ensure proper use of the equipment. Aminata Bah, Senior Programme Officer for Solidaridad, and Nabieu Kamara, MAFS engineer, trained beneficiaries and processors from the three districts at Unity Hall in Bo Town. The sessions covered the safe operation, basic maintenance, and effective use of rice mills, gari-processing machines, blenders, and other essential items.
According to Aminata Bah, smallholder farmers face challenges such as post-harvest losses, limited access to modern processing technologies, and inadequate packaging, which can negatively impact food security and income. “By combining modern equipment with practical training, we are improving product quality, reducing losses and helping women access broader markets,” she pointed out. Strengthening local value chains in processing and packaging is a priority, she said, because it directly increases the likelihood that farmers will capture a larger share of the value from their crops.
Engineer Nabieu Kamara emphasised that the training focused not only on operation but also maintenance, allowing groups to keep machines running and sustain productivity gains. “With these skills and equipment, the women are better positioned to increase rice and cassava processing in their communities and expand cultivation,” he said, noting that scaling similar support could bring Sierra Leone closer to national food-security goals.
Local partners welcomed the intervention. Isatu Sesay, Coordinator for the National Federation of Farmers in Sierra Leone (NAFF-SL) in Bo District, expressed gratitude on behalf of both farmers and the ministry. She emphasised the cumulative impact of Solidaridad’s years of training and support, which ranged from nutrition and farm management to Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) management, and said the new machines were a significant milestone. “This support will change how women process rice and cassava into finished products, enabling greater production, better packaging and entry into different markets,” according to Sesay.
Momoh Kamara, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for Bo, praised Solidaridad for empowering women through the RFaNS project and encouraged beneficiaries to take advantage of the opportunity to increase local food production. He noted that the intervention is consistent with the Sierra Leone government’s Feed Salone Programme, particularly Pillars 1, 3, and 6, which focus on increased productivity, market linkages, and the empowerment of women and youth. Pillar Six, he explained, explicitly promotes food security by creating jobs and providing inclusive economic opportunities for women and youth.
Overall, the RFaNS programme seeks to improve food and nutrition security for vulnerable households by increasing agricultural productivity, expanding access to nutritious foods, and strengthening community resilience. Solidaridad’s initiative, which combines targeted training, resource distribution, and ongoing community engagement, has reached hundreds of households and contributed to measurable improvements in food production and dietary diversity.
The project aims to empower women to process, package, and market local crops, resulting in improved food quality and quantity for families, increased household income from value-added products, and long-term resilience for communities in Bo, Kenema, and Moyamba.
